Family – Traveling Epic!

Gateway to Heaven Tianmen Mountain China

May 12, 2019May 13, 2019Posted in Asia, Bucket List, Family, National Park, Travel, UNESCO, WonderLeave a comment

I had a fantastic spring break in China and saw some of the most amazing places on the planet. If you’ve never been to China. Now is the time to start dreaming. In this series I will share 7 Bucketlist level places in China. It was out of this world amazing. Tianmen mountain is UNESCO world heritage.

#1 Heaven’s Gate or Tianmen Cave at Tianmen Mountain, Stairway to Heaven

A mountain with the world’s largest natural bridge or “cave” located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China. This UNESCO heritage mountain is ancient and has since been developed into an important pilgrimage including one of the world’s most interesting roads with 99 hairpin turns, a stairway to heaven with 999 steps or an alternative way to get to the portal to heaven by taking the escalator followed by a second escalator up to the top of the mountain which has 3 optional very affordable glass walkways, chairlift, and one of the longest cablecar like gondola rides down the mountain and through the city.

Stairway to Heaven… Portal to Heaven, Heavens gate. My 9 year old and I and my sister in law walked up the 999 stairs as my wife and brother in law and his daughter took the series of escalators. A half hour later both of us arrived around the same time at the top of the stairs.

Tianmen mountain may seem like it’s all about the portal to heaven, but there are a lot more surprises including glass walkways, gondolas, and the longest sets of escalators you’ve ever been on (unless you went to Kiev).

The Magical Map of Tianmen Mountain.

The walkways hang on the edge of cliffs. Beautiful, breathtaking, and as my wife says… you get use to it after a while.

Tianmen Glass walkway: note the booties… Christine, pictured didn’t think she’d be able to handle the glass walkways, but really you do get used to it and it is amazing and a must see! You feel like you’re invincible.

Looking down from the glass walkways at the 99 turn road that led up to the gateway. The road is thousands of feet below.

The Mountain is rich with a variety of experiences:

999 Steps up to Tianmen Cave the Stairway to Heaven
You can take an escalator or walk up the 999 Steps
99 Turns up the mountain
3 Glass walkways with booties
East Glass Walkway
Ghost Path
West Glass Walkway
Tianmen Cableway
Tianmen Mountain Temple
Cave of the Godess of Mercy

This post is in a series about our spring break trip to the most amazing places in China. Natural wonders, Pandas, the Terra Cotta Warriors and more!

Year in Review 2018 – Joel Oleson Adventure Traveler Fun Photos

January 8, 2019January 13, 2019Posted in Adventure, Africa, Europe, Family, Favorite, National Park, Nature, Road Trip, Tourism, TravelTagged 2018, Africa, Highlights, travel, Year in Pictures, Year in Review2 Comments

At the beginning of 2018, I started working at Blizzard Entertainment and visited a couple of offices in Europe as well and now two of my oldest sons started college. Great accomplishments for which I’m very pleased. As a result of supporting 2 in college, I’ve had to get good at cashing in airline miles. Our big family trip this year was to Ethiopia and Tanzania and it was awesome! The great migration and seeing the It’s one my wife has been asking to do for years. I finished the Western Hemisphere UN (North and South America). I started the year with 155 to go and ended with 163… but lots of great highlights as you’ll see below.

Screenshots above are from “App in the Air” based on Tripit. Reality is somewhere around 1.5 million miles, but who’s counting?

These stats are primarily based on flights alone since I left Microsoft about 11 years ago. It doesn’t count the visits by car or train.

8 New UN Countries

Roadtrip from Bissau to Dakar

Guinea Bissau
The Gambia
Senegal

Island hopping around Madagascar

Seychelles
Madagascar
Mauritius
Reunion (TCC)
Mayotte (TCC)

Weekend in the Caribbean

Antigua
Grenada

Revisits and some New Areas (Some selected photos below)

Italy – Verona, Ramona & Venice
Slovenia – Roadrip from Venice to Ljubljana
Tanzania – Serengeti and the Great Migration
Ethiopia South – Omo Valley Tribes
Zanzibar – Stone town, Plantations and South Beaches
Mexico – TJ x3, Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado
Portugal – Lisbon
France – Paris, Normandy, and the coast
England – London

The tribes in the Omo Valley were like visiting my ancestors from 5,000-10,000 years ago. Huddling in the grass huts and talking about their experiences was surreal. Having my son and nephew experience this ancient tribe was so fantastic. I do worry these days are limited. Life on this planet is changing quickly… There was a group of Chinese tourists complete with green screens and lighting equipment that beat us to one of the tribes and I struggled to not be heartbroken. Just when you think there’s no way you’ll see a tourist…

The Great Migration is one of the most amazing things on the planet, and is the largest mammal migration of it’s kind with more than 1.5 million individuals. I was told by my driver that I would cry I’d see so many wildebeests. I think my heart was full, but it was others in the group that voted to move on. I couldn’t get enough of these odd creatures.

Travel can be so much more interesting you see a place not how it is, but how it changes… our perspective changes… a place can be so different at different times of the year. Our driver was telling us about the different times of the year based on baby animals, the rainy seasons with the hippos and crocks, the dry season where the animals get close and the lions have an easier time. Imagine how the Serengeti looks if you’re standing in the middle of a meercats den… every day a different story. (Yes, I did see Meerkats and they did NOT dissapoint!) The Wildebeests were a testament to a creator. The creations of this planet make us think of organization on a massive scale rather than pure chaos.

Watching The Lion King… in Nature play out in front of my eyes… now that brings you to tears!

Watching the lions in the Ngorongoro Crater was fascinating. The density of large mammals is the most dense on the earth in the crater. (Minus the lemurs in Madagascar more on that later). It was incredible to see this lioness be first tracked by a male, then go hunting.

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This massive 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside Dakar, mixture of corruption, Stalinist architecture, and North Korean architecture.

I LOVED Madagascar… The Lemurs, the Baobabs, the surprise trekking of nocturnal night lemurs by flashlight… oh, so amazing… There is so much rich and unique biodiversity in Madagascar, and while it’s so difficult to get there, it ended up being more amazing than I hoped. Madagascar as a culture is still quite primitive and not without problems, but wow what an amazing experience. You can read more about my experiences with the lemurs and baobabs of Madagascar. I couldn’t believe I found covered wagons like those who crossed the plains to Utah in Madagascar. I’ve seen a lot of camels, donkeys, and horses, but true classic covered wagons with wooden wagon wheels… that was a first in Madagascar for me.

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Seychelles with the largest nut, the large rocks, the beautiful beaches… I had the opportunity to do some diving.

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Venice is a magical city. St Marcos Square with it’s looming tower and incredibly ornate frescoes, mosaics,and golden horses. It’s a must see for any traveler, and even better on this my second visit.

The Mosaics in Ravenna, Italy seem to capture lost mysteries. It’s super fascinating to study and wander the dozens of basilicas and churches in the surrounding areas.

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From underwater sculpture gardens, to waterfalls and sulfur hot springs, Grenada was a very green relaxing spice island.

Antigua is a beautiful island. It got quite a bit of destruction recently mostly on Barbuda. This dog followed me for over an hour. By the end of my walk I had 6 dogs following me.

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Christ the Redeemer in Lisbon was a gift from Brazil

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Mont Sant-Michel on the coast of France… very appropriate given the anniversary of the end of World War 1. Our visit to the coast included a walk along the beach in Normandy and a heavy heart.

Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more blogs on some of my adventures last year… Thanks for your support! Here’s to travel in 2019!

Current Travel Plans for 2019…

Family Spring Break trip to China – Xian Terra Cotta Warriors, Heavens gate, Glass bridge, Huge Buddah statues, Avatar Forest, and Pandas (My youngest LOVES Pandas!)
Remote South Pacific island hopping for my birthday including Vanuatu and Tuvalu and possible diving in the Great Barrier reef
TBD

Hope you’ll like and subscribe for more in 2019! Let me know what you’d like to see!

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Top 10 Activities in San Diego California

January 16, 2015January 16, 2015Posted in Adventure, Family, National Park, North America, Photography, Tourism, Travel TipsTagged Baby gorilla, Baby Panda, Balboa Park Centenial, Oceanside beaches, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park3 Comments

I recently moved to Oceanside California, a suburb of San Diego, and this holiday season we had an opportunity to look at San Diego like tourists. Southern California is a tourists paradise. In Orange County you have Disneyland and Knottsberry farm. Go to the coast and you have world famous beaches Newport and Long beach. In this post, I want to focus on San Diego. San Diego is packed with some of the most popular activities.

Foreigners who think they want to visit Los Angeles when they come to the US would do well to come south a few hours to San Diego area. After seeing a little bit of Hollywood or Disney, you’ll have a lot better time

1. San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park – The world famous San Diego Zoo

Most of my life this was THE zoo. San Diego, California housing over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies. Some of the highlights from my most recent visit were the baby panda who has been really growing, the baby gorilla. The lion was awesome.

Baby Panda eating Bamboo

Baby Gorilla right up against the glass…. so cute!

The Male Lion vocalizing… Serious Yawn! Amazing King of the Jungle.

After spending time at the San Diego, it made me wonder what are the best zoos. My favorite are the real animal parks in South Africa and Botswana, but when you can’t have that the Wild Animal Park in San Diego and the San Diego Zoo are really tops.

World’s Top 10 Zoos according to TripAdvisor

1. Henry Doorly Zoo (Omaha, Nebraska)

2. San Diego Zoo (San Diego)

3. Loro Parque (Puerto de la Cruz, Spain)

4. St. Louis Zoo (St. Louis)

5. Singapore Zoo (Singapore)

2. La Jolla – The Cove

My favorite place to relax in San Diego is in La Jolla. The beaches, the calm seas, the birds, the seals… I’ve done some snorkeling at the underwater park. What a wonderful place.

The Cove, Seals, Kayaks

This water arch is accessible by Kayak rental

Sunset at La Jolla Shores, bon fires along the beach

Flickr: 57108987@N00

Don’t miss the seals!

3. Legoland California + water park in Carlsbad and Aquarium

Kids love legoland. Rides, and entire cities and cityscapes including life sized Star Wars figures

Really… This Chewbacca is totally out of legos!

4. San Diego Harbor Cruise, Speed boat or Whale Watching

The San Diego skyline with a cruise ship. The harbor cruise, whale cruises, and even jet boats and duck boats are available for a ride out in the bay.

Battleships and navy battalions, the USS Midway is on the dock available for a self guided tour

5. Balboa Park – Science Museum

Balboa Park is a San Diego must-see, just minutes from downtown, and ranked as one of the Best Parks in the World. The Park is home to 15 major museums, several performing arts venues, lovely gardens and many other cultural and recreational attractions, including the San Diego Zoo. With a variety of cultural institutions laid out among its 1,200 beautiful and lushly planted acres, Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Yes it is huge… and bigger than even central park in NYC.

The tower and the Museum of Man were designed by Bertram Goodhue, who was inspired by the churches of Mexico and Spain. Even though the tower and museum resemble a church, they’ve never been used as one. They’ve always housed exhibits, except when used as a Navy hospital during World War II.

Flickr: jimnix

Balboa park is definitely something to see. A huge collection of museums right off from the zoo which house great collections of science, natural history, and culture.

As a public service, Balboa Park organizations offer free admission on a rotating basis on the first four Tuesdays of the month to San Diego City & County residents (with ID), active military & their dependents.

Please note: Some museums may offer complimentary admission to their permanent collections only and charge admission to special exhibitions or films.

Also note: Some museums may require ID for minors

First Tuesday

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Centro Cultural de la Raza
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum (Not valid for 3-D films)

Second Tuesday

Museum of Photographic Arts
San Diego History Center
Veterans’ Museum and Memorial Center

Third Tuesday

San Diego Art Institute
Mingei International Museum
San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Museum of Man
Japanese Friendship Garden

Fourth Tuesday

San Diego Air & Space Museum (Not valid for special exhibitions)
San Diego Automotive Museum (Last admission 3:45 PM)
San Diego Hall of Champions
Select House of Pacific Relations International Cottages

Museum Month: Half-Off Admission 2/1/15 – 2/28/15

The Timken Museum of Art is always free.

Due to large crowds and for visitor safety some museums may restrict entrance to strollers.

For more information visit http://www.balboapark.org/visit/tuesdays

6. Oh yeah, there’s Sea World… or Tons of Beaches to explore (be a whale?)

Sure go see Shamu or whoever, or why not go to some of the best beaches on the planet. You could even catch a whale cruise. (The 3 day Go San Diego pass offers discounts to Sea World) See bottom.

Coronado (more below)
Ocean Beach
La Jolla
Mission Beach
Torrey Pines
Oceanside
Del Mar
Solana Beach
Moonlight Beach
…. So many choices!

Check out the list of Top 10 Beaches in San Diego

7. Old Town San Diego

Credits: SanDiego.org

San Diego Historical Society: Old Town State Historic Park

Old town San Diego is a favorite. Very easy walking to historic churches, homes, great authentic Mexican food, and markets, shops and fascinating history. I recommend the Mormon Batallion. I have an ancestor that made that longest march in US history from Missouri to San Diego for the Mexican American War. The visitors center has an 3D style interactive movie that puts you back in those times.

8. Day Trip to TJ

As a global traveler I can’t resist going to Tijuana for a day trip. My favorite excursion is the drive to Ensenada and the Blow hole south of the city by another 15 minutes to El Bufadorra, but most would want to spend the weekend in Ensanada and a little more planning. The day trip to walk along Revolution street complete with street tacos and a visit to one of the many markets and lots of cheap souvenirs. This last trip we caught a cab after walking across the border and took us to the cultural museum and walked back to the border. We got some street tacos, churros, and I got a very cheap TJ Harley Davidson pullover Mexican style hoodie. The border crossings can be a pain, but really you only have to wait coming back. The way to Mexico is just a turn style. Make sure you have your passports to get back!

Cultural Museum of the Americas in Tijuana

Fresh and Cheap Pomegrantes… just across the border!

And who doesn’t love all of your favorite characters made up into Piñatas! Yes that is Anna, Elsa and Olaf and a couple minions.. for the right price

The Famous Jai Alai stadium at one end of the Avenue Revolution

The Arch at the other end of the Avenue

I could do a whole post on TJ, and probably should. There are so many people who visit Tijuana the wrong way, and as well there are so many people who are afraid of the border for the wrong reasons.

9. Hotel and Beach Coronado – Mystery surrounds the Hotel Coronado

Coronado’s famous beaches are known for their fine white sand that sparkles in the sun thanks to the mineral mica

Parents Magazine named Coronado Beach one of the Best Beach in the U.S. for Families
A stroll through the historic Hotel del Coronado, a truly enchanting experience.

Flickr: 29541450@N07

“Coronado is home to the famous Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888 and long considered one of the world’s top resorts. It is listed as a National Historic Landmark and appeared in films such as Some Like It Hot and The Stunt Man.” Read more about the Historic Hotel Coronado and Beach… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronado,_California

If you decide to go for a drive swing by the Mission in San Diego or follow the beaches north to Oceanside to the mission there. Best time to stop by is during the Day of the Dead where over 5000 people come to celebrate the dead!

I’m loving it here. I have to wonder if it has the best weather in the world…? Incredible number of days that are simply just right, but I don’t want to convince everyone to move here…. just that it’s a great destination, but apparently you probably already know that.

Even though I’m not getting a dime for this, let me see if I can save you some money. There is a Go San Diego Card that allows you to get into multiple places at once for a fixed price. I used the groupon San Diego deal to save even more. We did the two day and just bought the adult one ($97 for All Inclusive 2 day pass) and used the Legoland kids get in free coupon with full fared paid adult… We had to find someone who was paying full price to let our kid in with them from a $ perspective… It worked. Worked out wonderfully. We saved $50-60 on each day. Combining the activities into a string of events in a day is exhausting, but we had a great time!

10 Tips for a Successful Road Trip

July 23, 2013July 23, 2013Posted in Family, North America, Road Trip, Tourism, Travel, Travel TipsTagged hotels, packing, planning, road trip6 Comments

My 15 soon to be 16 year old son recently got his drivers permit. Now that he’s behind the wheel, there’s a lot of interest on his part to get behind the wheel.

Here are a few tips to planning a road trip:

1. Getting from Point A to Point B: GPS Device, Maps, Smart Phone with GPS, USB on Mappoint, iPAD with GPS, Road Signs, etc… – I have used any number of ways to get across state lines. I like having the turn by turn directions, and if you do, you will either want a GPS like Magellan. The times have sure changed but many still prefer the maps for planning and executing their routes.

2. Plan a Route with some Fun destinations, It’s not about speed between A and B – Today I planned our road trip using RoadTrippers.com it worked great. I put in Salt Lake City, UT as the source and the destination. Then I added the places where I wanted to go. I really want to see Devils Tower from the Close Encounters of the Third Kind movie, then Crazy horse and Mount Rushmore, and then Teddy Roosevelt Park. The plan was to get me into North Dakota, the last state in the lower 48. I’ll be visiting my last state in the Union, Alaska next month. You can use Bing Maps, Google Maps, or various tools to see what the roads are between you and your destination, but how do you plan your route? I like to have things I want to see. Seeing something cool every day with a little hike or some fresh air is nice to plan out when doing 10 or 12 hour drives. You really shouldn’t plan to drive more than 12 hours in a day. Longest I ever did was somewhere around 15 hours back when I was in college, but usually it’s not about getting as fast as possible to the destination, but rather enjoying the road trip and seeing sites along the way. The RoadTrippers app allows you to display attractions, historical, and photo areas. As a result I added a couple of additional stops, Independence rock, Sturgis (home to the biker gathering), a Mesa falls, and 1800’s Smith mansion. Normally I’d go through Yellowstone National Park, but I have visited the park nearly every year for the past few years. So while I am a fan, I need a break.

If you’re traveling during the winter, watch the roads as is be sure to keep track of the pass weather, just in case it’s closed!

3. Be willing to stop along the route, Mix it up! – You do need to think about stops along the way that will break up the day and make it enjoyable. Maybe it’s the world’s largest ball of twine, or Wall Drug, or even just getting slurpees for the kids, but when doing big family trips, the kids memories aren’t just about the destination. They will remember the 6 legged cow, and the albino skunk more than they may remember the St. Louis Arch. Same with Disneyland. If they drove 14 hours the day before they get to Disney, they will be exhausted.

4. Use the Pool – You may feel like you need to get on the road as early as possible, but an early dip in the pool will serve to wake you up, and will give you energy you didn’t know you had. The kids will thank you for it.

5. Break it up – Rush day, chill day, Busy Day, Relax day. When I plan a family trip, I am use to doing it my way, which is cram the days full… Packed days. I thrive off of the destinations and adventures. I’ve found the family prefers to spend more time on the beach and less time at the pyramids. Less time in the caves, and more time in the pools. Less time on the Hike and more time chilling at the cabin. To keep everyone happy I try to mix it up so we can both be happy.

6. Get fresh air – Seems there are less and less rest stops. I push myself when I do long road trips, and often stop only when I need more gas. That’s not a great practice. You need to get the blood flowing. There are conditions that can happen. You’ll notice a lot of the attractions on this trip will involve some decent hikes. I’m looking forward to doing some father and son bonding. Hikes are a great way to get to know the others on the trip. Often up in the hills there’s no 3G, no Wifi, and the power on the devices in the car are likely drained or having been used for the last 6 hours are now a bore. Walking, hiking, or simply exploring around national parks, or around the downtown… there are ways of keeping the blood flowing and supporting your goals. Think about all the junk you’re eating along the way minus your normal exercise routine. Feels good to find balance between the long drives with a good walk or hike.

7. Plan for snacks – Gas stations ultimately are limited on the quality of food you can get. Granola, nuts, fruit, aren’t popular in gas stations. Pop, candy bars, and circus peanuts, and peach rings… now you know what we end up with. Much better to plan for snacks so you can mix in some healthy stuff. It shouldn’t be hard to find a grocery store. They really are all over the world. The convenience of the gas station is just too easy. Learn to enjoy water. May make sense to bring a water bottle and just fill up with ice. Takes serious discipline. I’m not all there yet, but I know I should be doing that. Think about how you want to carry water and keep it cool. You do need to drink plenty of water.

8. Plan your hotel, B&B or camping strategy, get a good night’s rest, if you’re feeling pain get an adjustment or massage – You may be pushing through to arrive at your destination. Just because you arrived late doesn’t mean you need to be up at the crack of dawn. If you do need to be up at sunrise keep your drapes open. Natural light will help restore you and help you make up more naturally. Careful on doing anything dangerous. 8 hours of downtime is good. Remember it’s about regeneration. After I’ve done some horrible thing to my body… those other side of the world 40 hour flights, I reward myself with a massage. Easy to get in Asia, it’s becoming more and more common in many countries around the world to get a massage. I love space tanks as well for their restorative qualities. I bet that’s another post.

Plan your Hotels and know what you’re getting into. Consider Bringing Your Own Pillow and a Spare Blanket. If you’ve got the room in the car, you may want to toss in a pillow and blanket. Great for naps, and your neck is use to your pillow. Consistency. There’s a lot of stress on your neck during the drive, so taking off that stress at night may really help.

Hotels – Quality *

Motel 6 – 1-2 stars
Super 8 – 2-2.5 stars
Holiday Inn Express, Marriott Fairfield, Hilton Garden 3+ stars
Holiday Inn, Residence Inn, Hilton 3-4 stars
Hyatt, Ritz, Intercontinental 5 stars

International folks may enjoy the http://VRBO.com and couch surfers the http://airbnb.com which both have a huge variety. The B&B’s can be a way to combine the destination as part of the tour. A lot of them are online these days, and it takes some research. Top travel sites for planning include http://kayak.com http://expedia.com http://orbitz.com http://hotels.com http://priceline.com http://Travelocity.com http://tripadvisor.com they all have their pros and cons and expose most of the major chains. Trip Advisor has attractions in it’s database. If you can figure out which hotel you want and then call them directly, you may be able to simply make the reservation without having to pay. They may be able to hold it with a card. As well, lot of opportunities to collection hotel points for free nights or double dip on frequent flier miles like at Hilton depending on your loyalty.

9. Packing & Keep the Car Clean – I always pack light as a world traveler, but when I’m in my own car it’s easy to get sloppy. I count out the days and pack minimalist, but since I’m in the car I will pack the snacks and water separate. Putting the snacks in a small box will keep things from rolling around. If you can think modularly of those things that are for the car can stay in the car and then only what you need for the night has to go into the hotel. You may be driving an RV or Staying at Camp grounds. This use to be so much easier back in the 70’s and 80’s. Now the camp grounds are really spread out and they definitely don’t have the marketing budget of the hotels. For cheap hotels there are those little magazines that mention the walk in rate discounts. There are a lot of strategies to employ here. I’ve used a dozen different strategies and I do a lot of hotels. A lot of it is tolerance around cost, and tolerance around conditions. In the US there really is a hierarchy on national and world wide brands.

10. Tune up the car or consider a Rental – You may end up being focused on the agenda and packing, but ultimately what can make or break a trip is the condition of the car. Remember the vehicle you may be driving has often not been driven long distances, and may need fluids antifreeze an oil change and more. Get that tune up that you’ve been putting off, not on the day you’re trying to get out of town, but instead a few days prior. In road trips in the past I’ve encountered flat tire, overheating car (ended up dying), and transmission issues that cost me thousands. Even cleaning it out and having it vacuumed can help to start off on the right foot. Some may want to consider renting a vehicle. In some cities the daily and weekly rate may be worth the wear and tear on your own car. Big road trips can add a lot of miles all at once. These road trips can be fun with the top down, and in a sports car. For some, that is the dream. For others, it’s about a camper or RV to get on the road… Make sure you’ve got plenty of accessing to funds.

Enjoy!!

Traveling Ireland’s Ancient and Natural Wonders

July 15, 2013July 15, 2013Posted in Culture, Europe, Family, History, Nature, Religion, Tourism, Travel, UNESCOTagged ancient, Brú na Bóinne, giants causeway, Irish christianity, megalithic, natural wonder, neolithic, newgrange, solstice2 Comments

Ireland has been inhabited for thousands and thousands of years. For Eons and Ages, Ireland has constantly been inhabited and has a rich culture of folklore, myths, and a myriad of megalithic structures scattered across the country marking structures from these older ages. Early man left evidence from the mesolithic, neolithic, stone, bronze, and iron ages. I love traveling to Medieval and Neolithic sites. The ancient world history is fascinating to me. From the pyramids and temples of Egypt to Avebury & Stone Henge and on to the Nazca lines and the underground cities of Goreme and Cappadocia. I’m absolutely fascinated with it. So much of what we know is so little. We talk about these places like we know all about them, but honestly it’s pre-historic and we know very little and are still learning.

History in Ireland started in 400 AD with the spread of Christianity. It’s amazing to think of it spreading so far and wide. There are some amazing structures to see in Ireland. Within a short drive from the beautiful city of Dublin, you can be at amazing places. I recommend Wicklow for an afternoon at Glendalough. Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is known for its early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin, a hermit priest. It’s a beautiful drive and history itself unfolds as you walk amongst the graves, churches, and stone archways.

Like these ancient sites. Very easy to connect with nature and get a feel for what it was like in a village. This tower entry reminds me of Rapunzel. The entry to get in the tower is twenty feet off the ground. Apparently the monks would climb up a latter and then pull it up. They could drop rocks or oil and fire on the invaders.

These ancient rock churches are beautiful, but not an uncommon site in Ireland. They have lasted well through the ages. You can see how important faith was through the ages.

Glendalough is home to one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland. This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the “Monastic City”. Most of the buildings on the site today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Ireland’s great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 A.D.

Amazing structures, history from an ancient time… you can feel it in your bones.

Walking through the graves and the amazing Celtic crosses makes you feel an appreciation for the deep faith of the people.

Older than the Pyramids or Stone henge, Newgrange was an amazing find. I was amazed to find such an ancient megalithic structure that I hadn’t heard of with such importance. Driving north from Dublin straight north in the small town County Meath, Ireland on our way to Belfast and Northern Ireland, we saw a sign for this ancient site. I was intrigued. What is this Neolithic site I’ve never heard of? Newgrange is a large mound in a circular shape with a stone passageway and decent sized chamber inside (no pictures inside). On the tour they told us that during the 70’s some hippies were inside when it lit up during the winter solstice. Apparently they really didn’t know what it was used for prior. There’s still some confusion, but essentially this mount is not isolated. There are a lot of them in a small area.

This stone mound is surrounded by large stones with Neolithic carvings that still show up reasonably well. I absolutely love the swirls. It reminds me of the tail of the monkey in the Nazca lines. What you don’t realize is just how old they estimate this place.

These megalithic structures are called portal tombs (a chamber consisting of upright stones with one or more large flat capstones forming a roof) or passage graves or dolmen often there is often no human remains. There are 40 of these passage graves near Newgrange. The carvings on the rock are one of the largest collection of megalithic art.

Incredible examples of one of the largest natural collection of Megalithic art… Newgrange is part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the tour, they simulate the light, but there is actually a lottery to be able to be one of the lucky handful who can be in the chamber when the light enters.

In Northern Ireland is one of the great natural wonders of Ireland. The Giants Causeway. This basalt has dried in amazing formations on the sea side. It’s like Black Chrystal formations.

In the Giants Causeway with my sons. I’m lucky to be able to travel with my family on occasion. Ireland is a good family destination. Very family friendly destinations, and accommodations. They really enjoyed Ireland as well, and to think I was afraid there wasn’t that much to see. Incredible structures, incredible history, and very fun people. I’d be happy to go back to Ireland… anytime. So much more to see.

Meet the Fijian Hindustanis – The Other Side of Fiji

July 13, 2013July 13, 2013Posted in Culture, Entertainment, Extreme, Family, History, Oceania, Photography, Religion, Tourism, TravelTagged culture, fiji, fun, fusion, hindu, hindustandi, Holi, Indian, paint, party1 Comment

Fiji is a multi racial and multi ethnic place. In my previous post on Fiji I wrote about the native Fijians and my experience connecting with the locals. The majority of Fijians are native Melanesians. 43% of the population are Indo-Fijians or Hindustanis. Indian indentured laborers were initially brought to Fiji, Indo-Fijian. In the late 1800’s Indians came as indentured laborers to work on the sugar plantations. Most have been here in Fiji for multiple generations. They even have a fusion language. After the indentured system ended, many stayed on as farmers and became businessmen.

Now you have the most amazing fusion. Hindu temples on an island jungle with culture, language, and society that is culture and tradition rich cultural island nation mixed with the incredible history of India. A little bit of curry goes a long way to spice up a dish. The colors really light up the place.

My friend Michael of sharingtheglobe.com is *really* good at travel. When we put our minds together, we put together incredible adventures. Michael knew that the hindu holiday of Holi was happening. So while the first day of our trip, we knew we wanted to venture deep into the island and spend our time in a village.

The adventure began when we woke up on Holi morning. We knew we wanted to find out where the holi celebration was happening. We asked around and some mentioned that the Hari Krishna temple was where it was happening. We tracked it down, and visited it, but while a beautiful building, they weren’t having it there. They told us to go to a different hindi temple. It was there we saw a small gathering. It was the super soaker of purple dyes that really made a mess. We knew as we approached that we were going to get really painted up.

Within a couple of minutes, we were soaking with colors of the rainbow. It was fun, exciting, and we joined in music and food. The kids were loving it just as much as the adults.

It was after we left the temple that we we driving a long all painted up when we saw a big truck full of Holi day people. The truck was like a large military truck with room for tons of people. We waved and they waved back. They were excited to see follow holi friends and gestured for us to follow them. We followed them as they drove to a house. An older lady answered the door, and the music and dancing began and paint started flying. In western terms it felt like a mix between trick or treating for Halloween, and Christmas caroling, but the colors feel like a mix of easter and a spring water fight. Amazing. I hope you can just imagine the joy we were spreading as we were going from house to house, singing and dancing, and letting go of norms. It was very energizing to let go and connect with these people. In the end we stopped for a round of Kava.

The purple dyes would take over a week to get out, but the feelings lasted even longer. I gained a huge appreciation for the hindi people in this experience. The love, the friendship, it was amazing to see the outreach and ability to connect a community. These traditions should be respected. When I found out that not 50 miles from where I’m currently living, the hindu temple has an annual gathering and the community gathers to celebrate with the Hindu people. If you ever get the chance to celebrate holi. You must. It will help you gain a huge appreciation for India, Hindus, and the global culture that has brought spice to the world. Happy Holi, and I pray for continued peace on the island of Fiji. What an amazing place!!!

Fiji – An Experiment in “No Reservations” Cultural Island Travel

July 13, 2013July 13, 2013Posted in Culture, Entertainment, Family, Favorite, Food, Oceania, Religion, Travel, UniqueTagged culture, drink, fiji, fijian, island, islands, kava, nadi, no reservations1 Comment

I bought a cheap flight from New Zealand on my way back to the U.S. On a discount Jet Star flight, I was in Fiji for a couple of days for less than a difference of somewhere between $100-200 USD. It was great. I loved Fiji. The people were amazing! The adventures I had in Fiji could not have been planned, and no guide could have planned some thing as authentic as what we experienced. This post is the first night and I’ll separate the other experience in another post. Fiji was just too amazing for one post. Michael condensed his into one post on Fiji titled “Kava Shots and Holi Wars”, and I borrowed a couple of his great photos. This post on our experience with the native Melanesian people and my second post on the hindustanis and celebrating “holi” with them.

When some people think Fiji, they think of beaches in paradise. I was thinking… Natives in grass skirts, a real tribal experience that I couldn’t find in the Caribbean. I knew I wouldn’t have my wife and kids with me, and hanging out on the beach was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to go local and seek out a real adventure.

On the flight to Fiji I asked a flight attendant where I could find the most native village and one where I could live with the locals. I was imagining huts or sleeping on mats or hanging hammock. I was given the name of a place somewhere deep in the island. When we went to pick up the rental car, they said we’d want a 4×4 to get there. Ultimately we picked up a 4×4 and headed out into the woods. Before we headed out, we wanted to make sure we had a gift for the village to cover any expenses we might incur to the village.

It was long before we started out on dirt roads, and deeper and deeper crossing rivers, and getting strange looks. Miles and miles deeper we drove. The stares started getting longer and polite “Boolah!” we would get. We’d respond, “Boolah!” and smile big. Then someone stopped us… where are you going? We explained we were going deep into the heart of the island to this very native village. He told us that was impossible and that we should turn around. We let him know we weren’t in a hurry and were enjoying the drive. He gave us a warning that the river had washed out the road. It got more and more challenging as we drove along and finally we met our match. The road was too much, so we turned around. You’ve heard about Anthony Bourdain and his No Reservations show. On this day we were definitely traveling without reservations. We were both up for adventure. I was traveling with my friend Michael Noel of SharingTheGlobe.com and I said. Tonight I want to sleep in a village, and we agreed even if we were on someone’s floor. We were open to adventure. As we drove back the way we came, we saw a big tent and a local gathering. We slowed down to avoid the crowd walking along the street and gathered around the tent.

Young men were pounding long metal pipes in little wooden canisters. They’d lift and pound, twist lift and pound. We slowed and said “Boolah!”… What’s going on? He replied, it was a birthday party for his 1 year old daughter. The entire village was gathered for the party. The women were inside the home, and the men underneath the tent. He invited us to join them. We had heard about the need to bring cava roots as a gift, so we were prepared. I was so excited to join this exciting moment and the family was happy to have some foreign guests of honor. We were brought to the head of the tent to the elders of the village and sat down on mats.

The village chief elder asked us a few questions, but invited us to participate in a ceremonial “Kava” drink. Kava is such an important part of the culture. It is only consumed sitting with your legs crossed, with no legs and foot pointing to the sides. The kasava root is pounded then put in a sock and water is added to create the drink. The first person claps their hands twice, and from a large bowl a half coconut is dipped in and then the person who is presented the cava claps twice, then drinks the cava, after he’s finished he throws any remainder over his shoulder and hands the coconut back. Both hands are used at all time. It felt like a handshake, trust, confidence, and an opportunity to make friends all at once.

The tent was filled with happiness and order. Those with the most age were at the front of the tent and as a rite of passage, you had to be twenty or twenty one to enter the tent. Those at the back of the tent had paid their dues in the pounding of the cava and only those who had come of age could drink the cava.

In our search for a unique cultural experience we were given one. We had arrived late to the party and the men had already eaten. We were invited to eat with the women and children who as custom would have it, eat after the men.

They accepted us and we had some interesting looks, but had some great local hand cooked fish and rice. The children thought we were interesting or funny looking. Either way, we made friends with the kids, and eventually re-emerged back out toward the tent. A couple of younger guys from the back of the tent approached us and asked us about our story. Why we were here, asking if we were having a good time… Of course we were. We were offered more kava. At this point I was getting a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have strange dreams or what affect this kava might have. I knew there wasn’t alcohol in it, but beyond that I didn’t know much about it. I explained to the young man that I shouldn’t have too much. He asked why. I said for religious reasons. He asked what religion. I said. LDS. He said. “No way.” I said, “yes way. I am a Mormon.” He replied… That was impossible. He stopped and said. I am a Mormon. That house over there. They are Mormon. Many in this tent are Mormons. I wasn’t sure if he understood me, or what, but then I remembered as we had turned off the road, I had seen an LDS church. He said the prophet had told them that they could drink kava, but they should not drink too much. Having spent the last 3 hours involved in the ceremony with the elders I could see the cultural importance, and for a young man this was a huge privilege for him to be under the tent and mingling with the men of the village. He asked us where we were staying and I told him we were hoping to find a place to stay. A while later he told us he had talked to his mother and we could stay with them. Perfect! We would be able to stay in the village and even if on the floor we had a real local experience rather than staying in some cheap hotel. He wanted to stay at the party as late as possible, so I asked him about what time he’d be leaving. He didn’t know, but somewhere around 1am. We agreed that would be fine. He ended up going back to the party after we settled down for the night. The 1 year old’s party lasted till at least 2 or 3 am. Wildest 1 year old party I’ve ever heard of… The people celebrate together. It’s a very communal society.

Music got more lively and ultimately it turned to dance, and we were invited to boogy. After learning a few local moves, we were invited by some locals to start dancing. We had some more kava. Danced some more. Had more kava, met more locals and spent the evening having a blast with the local Vatuvu villagers. Fiji was amazing and we were experiencing it raw. No guides, not paid group. Our payment, a gift of Kasava root, smiles and friendship.

That night I would sleep on my new friend’s couch, and feel what it was like to be a villager. Mission accomplished!

Panama Island Escape: Bocas Del Torro and Urraca – Adventures in Paradise

May 4, 2013June 1, 2013Posted in Animals, Central America, Culture, Family, Food, Nature, Tourism, TravelTagged culture, ecotourism, islands, native, Panama2 Comments

Before when I thought of Panama, all I could think of was the Panama canal. Now I think of Islands. There are so many little islands off the coast of Panama.

The only way to get around the islands is with boats. The boats are like busses taking you from place to place. The first time I visited Bocas del Torro, I thought the island was the destination. It wasn’t until I spent a little time on the island and I discovered that the adventures are all around you.

Red Frog Island
Urraca Private Island
El Tigre – Native Tribe Island
Bat Caves
Waterfalls
Scuba Diving for underwater ship, sea horses, and amazing

I wasn’t satisfied just to see a small bit of Panama. I had to come back, so I brought my family. I did some searching and came across Urraca Private Island. It sounded magical. Your own private island, the lady who runs the place has her own monkey, a French Canadian who travelled the Caribbean looking for paradise. She found 2 islands of mangroves and found a way to put a house on stilts. These beautiful places are designed with nature in mind. The electricity comes from the sun, the water in the house comes from the rain.

While I was really hoping to find “utopia,” instead we had a great adventure that tested my wife’s limits. I think over those few days I’d see something in her as an adventure traveler that would make me realize things have changed (at least knowing that there are comfort limits.) My wife didn’t like the cold showers, didn’t like the rain showers that barely let up a couple of days. Even though it wasn’t the rainy season we spent a lot of time in the rain forest and you don’t know how it will effect a person.

I realized we couldn’t do hostels as a family. I tried a couple of different styles and we drew the lines at A/C – required, hot showers – required, and no bugs. We didn’t have screens in the windows and the little fans didn’t do enough to keep the kids and my wife happy. The adventure became too much of one.

It was a little daunting not to be able to be in control. You tell the boat when to come and that’s when it will come. No earlier, no later. When it’s time to eat and you’re on a private island, you don’t have a lot of choices if you didn’t prepare. You likely will eat what is being cooked and if you don’t like it or don’t like the prices… tough. You may not even know the price until the end of the week, and at that point you better be prepared. Ask for a menu and ask for prices, and ask for alternatives. I did come across some places, but easily 30 minutes away and that means gas or it means going to dinner on your way back from an adventure.

Pictured: Left the food places at Bocas are often out on the water with incredible views. Right: The swim up to it table, difficult to get on those seats at low tide, but beautiful to look at. There’s a lot of symbolism in this… It looks better than it feels without knowing and realizing it’s going to be an adventure and that’s what it’s all about.

While it may not have been the ultimate paradise for everyone on those three days on the private island. I really really enjoyed the adventure even though I discovered their comfort limits. Here are just a few things we experienced.

Capuchin monkey
Fresh lobster
Private beaches
Encounters with natives
Snorkling and scuba
Cave spiders that look like scorpions
Seeing sloths in the wild!
Bioluminescent waters
Dolphins

Crossing from Costa Rica across a wild train bridge was quite the adventure. It really wasn’t hard to catch a bus from Puerto Viejo or Manzanilla to the border. You can even pay to get all the way to Bocas del Torro which involves crossing the train bridge then riding a van transport to water transport and then on for another hour to Bocas del Torro.

Pictured: Jared with his rodent friend that had a rabbit face on Right my 3 year old and Tutsi the monkey

Pictured: Get your scuba certification in 3 days. Open Water PADI certified. It was the best dive with the worst equipment, but I got what I paid for… it was cheap!

Local breakfast on Bocas del Torro… a local meal of scone and two meatballs. I’m sure there was a local name for it.

South Africa’s Kruger Wild Animal Park: Wild and Wonderful

October 31, 2012October 31, 2012Posted in Africa, Animals, Antarctica, Bucket List, Family, Favorite, Nature, Photography, Road Trip, Tourism, TravelTagged Animals, Big 5, Elephant, Kruger, Lion, Rhino, Safari, South Africa, Southern African3 Comments

I’ve visited South Africa on three different occasions and found it incredible each time. I would go at the drop of a hat. I still need to take my family with me, and yes if you were wondering. I would do that. Something that holds a lot of people back is they are sincerely worried about this world we live in and they see Africa as a whole as a place that isn’t safe or ready to be explored. In my various adventures in Africa I’ve found South Africa to be a great hub to explore other parts of South Africa. It does feel like that hut surrounded by barbed wire that protects me from the wild animals like in Kruger wild animal park, but then I realize I’m the one that’s in the cage.

After you’ve been to Africa and been on safari, a zoo will never be the same. As I suggested, you are the one that’s in the cage. During the day you venture out in your car, and in our case it was a rental car with insurance. Our little car was chased by bull elephants a couple of times and we drove through herds of buffalo, zebra, and numerous horned antelope and other horned beasts. Before nightfall we’d drive into a gated area that would keep the wild animals out. We’d share stories with others and see what large animals had been spotted.

The big 5 are on everyone’s mind. You have to see what of the big 5 you can check off. In our 3 days of driving around never once crossing an existing path, we saw them all but the leopard.

Elephant
Rhino
Lion
Buffalo
Leopard

Why it doesn’t include the Crocodile, the Hippo, Hyena, Giraffe or Zebra or other animals that are just as huge I don’t know, but I did see them as well. I’d also recommend tracking down a troop of baboons. It isn’t enough to just see one of these animals, you need to see them in hundreds and it again changes your perspective.

Kruger Wild Animal Park is a must. If you visit South Africa you should definitely plan to do it. There are other less wild parks where you can get closer to the big cats, but the wildness of it all will change your perspective forever. This is the Yellowstone of wildness for Africa. I later spent some time in Botswana that made me rethink what I thought was wild, but really this is a great introduction into the wilds of Africa. As well having spent some time in Kenya and Tanzania, I think this is a great place to start. Tons and Tons of animals and you can do this on your pace. They’ve even got maps that point out the climates and what to expect in the various ecosystems.

Eric Harlan, a Microsoft engineer and I ventured out into Kruger with his massive camera and a very expensive rented lens that made the far off animals seem within reach. It was Eric’s first foray into the wild, and he to this day refers to the changes that took place on this trip. Not just the animal wild and crazy, but our walking border crossing into Mozambique to Maputo. An incredible experience I’ll have to share in another post. Eric and I have since been on a few other trips, but Kruger stands out. We flew into Johannesburg, stayed with a good friend in Joburg. The next morning we rented a car and were in a hut in the park that night. It was a good drive and we barely made it before they closed the gate, but it was a beautiful drive. After 3-4 days in Kruger we went into Mozambique and got the human side as well as in Swaziland before arriving in Durban where we did our speaking gig at TechEd Africa before flying to Capetown for the first SharePoint Saturday event in Africa…

If you want to go on a guided safari you have lots of options. First you can take a guided tour and they will track down the animals for you. As well, you can take your vehicle into the park and at each of these self enclosed villages that often include bungalow, or beehive huts, and more primitive tent spaces. You decide how primitive you want to go. At these places you can pay to go on a morning or evening walking tour, or go out on a safari on a huge truck that can go on special routes and get quite close to a watering hole, or a night safari that has exclusive access to the routes during the dark. They are all freaky and I highly recommend them all. Each of them is a real experience… having a guide with an elephant gun in the front and one in the back… and walking through grass thinking wasn’t that a lion roar and it was, is truly exhilarating. Very raw. We tracked down some rhinos grazing who eventually smelled us and ran off, but not before we were about 10 feet away… and followed some buffalo and zebra.

When you stop for lunch at one of these rest camps you can eat gazelle or other meat that you’d never thought possible didn’t think you’d ever eat Wildebeest.

At night we tracked a lion, a bull elephant who pushed our safari truck, and spotted a family of hyenas with tiny little 3 babies. Incredible experiences. It was amazing to see these animals in their habitats on their terms.

It’s unreal when you see a HUGE elephant looking straight at you and there’s nothing more than a little metal or tiny little glass window between you and them. On the walking safari, you feel very vulnerable.

Do I recommend these experiences. Oh, definitely. Is it safe, you’ll have to ask your guide what his stats are. These are experiences of a lifetime…

Kruger Wild Animal Park

Above is a video of footage from my camera mixed with some photos that Eric took. He snagged the lion photo as well. Getting that lion photo was a real experience. We had gone two days without seeing a lion, and we really wanted to see one. On our maps we tracked down the area where we should see one, and asked as well around camp. We saw a car that was stopped and pulled up quietly behind it. A man in the car had a camera pointing into some tall grass. We must have sat there for 5 minutes before we saw a tail swish and realized what we were waiting for. A group of lionesses were sunning. Over the next half hour we’d get nearly out of the car (not recommended and anything more would be against the rules) to get the best viewpoint. All of a sudden they jumped up looked around… (maybe smelled us?) and then ran off.. it was beautiful and an experience I will cherish.

Help Stop Brain Cancer

July 24, 2012October 10, 2012Posted in Family, PhilanthropyTagged CancerLeave a comment

Wanted to share my brother in law Robert’s new blog:

Stop Brain Cancer.

Robert is more than a brother. We’be shared a lot of great times togethe including traveling in Washington DC and New York City. As well I attribute my new appreciation for cuisine in Southern California to Robert. He introduced me to Chicken & Waffles and my first taco truck experience was with Robert. My interest in combining massage with travel came from a So Cal excursion with Robert and Angela to Ensenada & Rosarito. Good old’ Bufadora!! I’ll have to share more about this trip.

Anyway, I hope you will take time to read his true story of finding and fighting brain cancer.

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Baby Panda eating Bamboo

Baby Gorilla right up against the glass…. so cute!

The Male Lion vocalizing… Serious Yawn! Amazing King of the Jungle.

Sunset at La Jolla Shores, bon fires along the beach

Kids love legoland. Rides, and entire cities and cityscapes including life sized Star Wars figures

Really… This Chewbacca is totally out of legos!

The San Diego skyline with a cruise ship. The harbor cruise, whale cruises, and even jet boats and duck boats are available for a ride out in the bay.

Battleships and navy battalions, the USS Midway is on the dock available for a self guided tour

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