Index of Posts, June 2025

Entry titles are listed in order from oldest to newest (top to bottom) in this index; however, the actual blog entries are posted from oldest to newest (back to front).  Thus, the 2005 entry will be at the back end of this blog.  Find a topic in the left-hand column, then click on the corresponding archive year in the right-hand column to get close on a time scale to the desired entry before scrolling up or down for the specific entry.

 December 2005-   Building my first boat, Leaving home and Nebraska (my bio) 

February 2016-     Travel Blog, Croatia preview

March 2016-         Iceland, Copenhagen, Zagreb, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland

July 2016-             Scandinavia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Berlin

September 2016-   Colorado

November 2016-   California coast

December 2016-   Washington DC, Island of Maui

March 2017-        Argentina:  Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Mendoza

May 2017-           Northern Italy preview

July 2017-            Alaskan cruise

September 2017- Venice, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Genoa, Nice, French hill villages,                                        Portugal & Algarve 

October 2017-      Lisbon & Sintra, Washington DC

December 2017-   Eastern Caribbean cruise:  St. Kitts-Nevis, Martinique, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada,                                Puerto Rico

February 2018-     South Pacific preview

March 2018-         Tahiti & Tuamotu cruise, New Zealand

April 2018-           New Zealand South Island, Australia

September 2018-   Road trip to Colorado. Idaho, Wyoming

September 2018-   Galapagos Islands, 2015

September 2018-   Panama 2014 trip

September 2018-   San Blas islands cruise 1981

October 2018-       Krakow, Poland

November 2018-   Zakopane, Danube, Budapest, Azores

January 2019-        European trip preview

May 2019-              northern France, cruise to Med, Mallorca, Rome, Copenhagen

July 2019-              Azores, Maine, Cape Cod preview

August 2019-         Omaha visit

September 2019-   A Voyage to Remember, Florida to Panama, 1980

October 2019-        Azores, Maine, Cape Cod

December 2019-    Puerto Vallarta

February 2020-      Madeira Island, Azores

April 2020-            The Lost Vacation (due to Covid), Switzerland, (now rescheduled)

August 2020-         Road trip to Montana

October 2020-        Road trip to Arkansas

April 2021-             Living in Panama, 1979-1982

July 2021-               Brazil preview (canceled and rescheduled April-June 2022)

August 2021-        Raising Children in the Military

September 2021-    Switzerland:  Lausanne, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich

April 2022-             Road Trip to Omaha, Washington DC, and Florida 

May 2022-              Roatan snorkeling, Our 1972 Road Trip

August 2022-            A Lifetime Travel Partner

June 2022-              Bocas del Toro snorkeling, Panama               

October 2022-         France:  Strasbourg, Colmar, & Mulhouse

                                Switzerland:  Basel, St. Gallen

April 2023-             Spain, Canary Islands, France, England, and DC

September 2023-    Scotland, Sardinia

November 2023-    Travel Planning Details

December 2023-    DC, Dubai, Mahe Island (Seychelles)

January 2024-        more Seychelles Islands, Maldives Islands, Sri Lanka

February 2024-      South Africa, a brief stop in Brazil

March 2024-          Snorkeling Sri Lanka & Maldives

April 2024-            Military Travel

September 2024-   Revisiting the Past, Germany

October 2024-      Garmisch, Germany to Hall, Austria

                              Salzburg, Munich, and Onward

                              Istanbul, first encounter

                              Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

                            

November 2024-    Back to Istanbul and a Cruise

                               Tuscany, Italy

                                Living in the Sweet Spot

January 2025-           New Destinations 

February 2025-         A Time for Reflection

March 2025-             Puerto Rico, instead of a Cruise

May 2025-                 Japan

                                   Taipei, Taiwan

                                    Manila, P.I.

                                    East Malaysia, Brunei

                                    Semarang + Surabaya, Indonesia (Java)

                                    Celukan Bawang, Bali

                                    Benoa (Bali) plus Sumba, Komodo 

                                    Cruising

                                    Perth, Australia

                                    Adelaide, Australia

                                    Tasmania

                                    Maui

Tasmania II, more photos

The dense forest at Mount Field NP, SW Tasmania.  You could imagine a dinosaur appearing out of this lush forest.  Instead, it is the home of platypuses.

Russell Falls at Mount Field, NP.  A well-groomed trail zigzags upwards from the parking lot to get here.

A kind lady asked us if we would like our photo taken in front of the falls.

After hiking to Russell Falls, we hiked further up the forest path to the Upper Falls.  Even further up, we encountered a substantial grove of massive trees, about 250 feet tall.  How do you take a picture of such trees when you are surrounded by them?

Mount Wellington as seen from our hotel in Hobart.

Cataract Gorge, Tasmania, on the edge of Launceston.  If you don't want to walk the gorge trail, you could take the river boat up until encountering rocky rapids.

April in Japan, we saw the Spring blossoms and flower pedals on many trees.  A month later, we are seeing the Fall colors on leaves in Tasmania.  This photo was taken at the park above Cataract Gorge.

Tasmania, South (Hobart) to North (Launceston)

Mount Wellington as seen from our hotel in Hobart.

We landed at Hobart at sunset and, after retrieving our luggage, switched to a rental RAV4.  Hobart is quite a nice city; big enough but not too big.  We had a comfortable stay at the boutique Islington Hotel on the west edge of Hobart.  The hotel had views of Mount Wellinton and a landscaped garden.  The following morning, we first did a tour of Hobart on the hop-on-hop-off bus and then later drove to nearby Mount Field National Park for some hiking and scenery.  The park was old growth forest; trees up to about 250’ tall with huge trunks, plus lush tree-like ferns.  Growth was dense due to ample rain which also sustained some small waterfalls.  Platypuses are found here.  We did not see them, but others have reported sightings.

That evening we walked the harbor front, checking out all the shops and restaurants, until we found a restaurant with the quiet atmosphere we were seeking, and had a nice seafood dinner. 

Maria Island.  This scene is incredibly peaceful: calm water, blue sky, natural-appearing island.

More of the same: quiet ripples on the beach, totally natural, painting-like.

Look at this broad beach with no disturbance, only in Tasmania would you find a vacant beach without evidence of people.

Different beach but the same natural peacefulness.

The following day, we drove the east coast of Tasmania to Swansea, then turned inland ending up in Launceston.  We stopped at a wool store in Ross along the way, but the store was disappointing: high prices and limited inventory.  The east coast was beautiful: wide sand beaches, low cliffs, clear water, calm seas, and few people.  Tasmania reminded us of northern California.  Another tourist couple we met in Tasmania, who are from California, also sensed the California similarity.  Residents we talked to report that the climate is quite mild, and, as an island surrounded by ocean, that is to be expected.  The west coast of Tasmania gets plenty of rain (like the Oregon coast), but the east coast is significantly dryer.

This could be California's central coast.

The island of Tasmania is slightly bigger than the island of Sri Lanka but has a population of only 532,600 compared to Sri Lanka's 22 million!  The island of Java, with twice the land area, has a population of 157 million!  The difference in population densities is astounding.  Having visited all three islands, we have witnessed the difference it makes in peoples' lives.

Launceston's Cataract Park, walking the trail through the gorge brings you to this location.

Launceston is a small but scenic location.  We stayed in a small B&B there; probably the least impressive of any of our trip accommodations, but about what we could expect in a small, non-touristy town.  The area is hilly with seaport frontage on a bay which extended far inland from the main coast.  We toured the downtown area on foot and had lunch at a small cafe.  Most notable is the Cataract Gorge waterway/trail/park.  You can walk to it from any part of the city, and it is wonderfully scenic.  It appeared that some town residents use the trail through the gorge for their daily walks.

Looking across the bay from Brady's Lookout to the village of Windermere.

We drove to George Town on the outer coast, stopping at 'Brady's Lookout' along the way.  The lookout is a high point along the bay with views far up and down the bay and surrounding valley.  Mathew Brady used the lookout to spot ships he sought to overpower and steal to leave Tasmania.    The drive was a chance to view more of the surrounding terrain.  The Launceston airport is small with only basic services; we flew out on a propellor-driven turbojet when leaving.  Without that airport, I could not have planned our south-to-north driving tour of the island. 

[ Brady was a young man who was arrested for stealing food in England.  He was sentenced to 7 years in prison and sent to Tasmania where he later escaped along with other inmates and became an outlaw.  After years on the run, he was captured and killed at age 27.  It was a harsh life back then.  Imagine, it all started from stealing some food.]

(I need to add more photographs to this entry.)

Adelaide, AU

Adelaide as seen from the hills to the north.  You can see the coast to the south of the city.

 Staying in Adelaide, we were at the Adelaide Marriott, a central location only two blocks from the Central Market, known for its fresh food stalls, and just a bit further to Chinatown.  We had a great Chinese meal at Perth, but after two nights of Chinese in Adelaide, we had had our fill. We spent a day exploring Adelaide; Botanic Park, downtown pedestrian malls, the river walk, and Central Market. 

One booth of many at the central market- flowers in abundance.

Multiple booths for fruit here, but there were booths for every need.

A view of Botanic Park.  We like the quiet and tranquility such parks furnish in an urban environment. 

From the botanical garden, we walked past the zoo, discovered hordes of large bats, and then followed a path along the river.  Perfect weather.

Adelaid as seen from Mount Lofty.  We are ready for our mountain biking adventure.

Our biking group getting ready for our descent.  The first portion was quite steep, crisscrossing the slope with hairpin switchbacks to reverse directions.

Dawn ahead of me.  We are now on a lower section of the trail, not so steep.  We made stops to see the koalas in nearby trees.

Adelaide is known as a wine-producing region, but we wanted to do something more active than visit a vineyard.  We did an awesome excursion, riding mountain bikes from the peak of Mount Lofty following switchbacks on the initial steep slopes, seeing koalas in the wild, then a stop in a nature park, and finally ending in the neighborhoods and parks of the city suburbs.

The city park trails were relaxing and easy to follow.

If you follow this path far enough along the river, you arrive at the coast.  It is a doable ride, but we were in late afternoon already.

Happy campers: bicycling is Dawn's favorite activity.

  Dawn asked Ian, our guide, if we could keep the bikes all day: he agreed (for an added charge), and we took advantage of it; another wider circuit of the city, then threading our way through the central streets back to our hotel.  We made the most of our short stay in Adelaide.

Fox Bat hanging from a tree near the Adelaide Zoo.  There were thousands of them, and they were large.  Their faces actually looked like a fox.

This one only one of many trees full of Fox Bats.

To get to Tasmania, we were flying Qantas business class and had a short layover in Melbourne.  I did not realize how many eating opportunities were ahead.  After checking in at Adelaide, we proceeded to the airline lounge to wait for our flight.  It was lunch time, and an assortment of buffet food is waiting.  Then we boarded the 1-hour-20-minute flight and were offered another meal.  Arriving in Melbourne, we went to the airline lounge to await our next flight, and another buffet of food was waiting.  A few snack items were tempting.  On the one-hour flight to Tasmania, we were then offered another meal, but I had to refuse.  It was just too much.... and forget about dinner.

Is it any wonder that a person often gains weight while on vacation?

Perth, Australia

After five full days aboard our cruise vessel Insignia crossing mainly open ocean, we disembarked at Fremantle, Western Australia.  We immediately summoned Uber, an Audi Q7, and enjoyed a scenic ride to the Parmelia Hilton on the edge of downtown Perth.  The location is ideal: near King’s Park, Elizabeth Quay, Perth Convention Center, and some great shopping streets (blocked off for pedestrians, in Germany called ‘fussganger’ districts) with a wide variety of interesting stores.  Little sign of vacant storefronts from the inroads of online shopping as yet.  Remember the 1960’s?  Perth has a Kmart, a Woolworth’s, a Gorman’s, and really has the feel of vibrant, in-person, 1960’s shopping, without the ‘homeless’ vagrants, trash, and aimless teenagers you find at malls today.

The first thing we did in Perth was to walk to Kings's Park.  While the initial few blocks were uphill, the path then leveled out to a pleasant tree-lined path.

We are looking back at the city center from Kings Park.  Those residential buildings in the foreground are very upscale with excellent views and a short commute to the city.

Again, we are in the park and looking across Swan River toward South Perth.  Very nice waterfront homes and condominiums on that far bank also.  We rode rented bicycles along both banks: there were separate bicycle lanes on the bridge for crossing the river.

A view of downtown Perth from the harbor entrance.  The city had many shoppers, excellent stores, and exuded vitality.  Our hotel would be about one block to the left and one block back from the harbor as viewed from this vantage point.  It was an easy walk to central attractions.

Very modern buildings viewed from Perth's inner harbor.

That is a pedestrian bridge at harbor entrance (with Dawn).  I have a compact telephoto camera while she has a cellphone which requires her to get closer.

Except for a few older buildings kept due to historical significance, the buildings are very modern.  The portion of the park on our right is welcoming with great landscaping plus open space for exercise.  Dawn and I walked this park after dark: the city seemed safe.  We did not see any people who appeared to be vagrants, loitering with no purpose.

Our first destination was King’s Park, easy walking distance.  King’s Park is 1000 acres, larger and more scenic than New York's Central Park.  The area is also blessed with a much milder climate.  For Dawn and me, one of our first thoughts was, “I could see myself living here.”  Yes, it was/is a very positive first impression.  While distant from the United States, Perth is close to many Asian destinations such as Singapore and Bali.  Australia is a large country: it stretches almost 2,200 miles from Perth to Sydney.

Crossing Swan River on our rented bicycles.

A rather unusual bridge upstream on the Swan River which we used to cross with our rented bicycles from the city to the nearby stadium.

At the portion where the Swan River flows past Perth, the river is wide, shallow, and with little current; unfit for commercial ships but well-suited to recreational boating.  These two catamarans are part of a fleet lined up on the far bank.

We recrossed Swan River on our bikes and stopped at a park.

On another day, Dawn & I rented bicycles and did a 9–10-mile circuit around a large section of the Swan River.  Along the north shore is Perth itself; the south shore is lined with high-end homes and apartments.  The entire course was on paved bike paths with parks, natural areas, and lawns.  Again, the weather was perfect. We stopped for ‘dim sum’ at a Chinese restaurant and had some amazing dumplings.

Shore of Swan River near Fremantle, very nice homes and boats.

Fremantle downtown, the city has an 'artsy' vibe.

Our final day, we took a scenic ferry ride down the Swan River, back to Fremantle, where we toured the central business district composed mainly of small shops and eateries, then were loaned free bicycles (with deposit) to ride the trail along the river/ocean front.  We took the train back to our Perth starting point.  It is much easier to get train tickets when the ticket machines are in English- unlike the ‘guessing game’ experienced when buying train tickets in Japan.

Perth has been an enjoyable destination, and we haven’t even experienced the two most highly touted activities: a day trip to Rottnest Island and a cruise to the wine country on the upper Swan River. Our idea was to avoid long boat rides and instead substitute more active alternatives.

Cruising

 We have learned that about 240 passengers onboard are part of an around-the-world trip (out of 677 max. passengers).  We talked to a gentleman from Michigan who is a part of this group.  He and his wife sold their home and are using a relative’s home address while embarked on this lengthy trip.  I like travel, but we also really enjoy where we live.  These one-day stops, port after port, would get repetitive after a while.  I have a kayak hull, framed and waiting to be completed, in my shop at home.  We have trails to ride on our mountain e-bikes.  We have Spring yard maintenance to complete.  After our visit to Japan, we are interested in getting one of those heated, multi-function Toto toilets installed at our home; they are ubiquitous in Japan.

Although Dawn and I do cruises, we aren’t really ‘cruisers’, we don't quite fit in.  We seldom go to the lectures or attend the evening entertainment.  We don’t sit at the bar, play games in the game room, and seldom participate in classes.  We do frequent the library, which has an extensive and neatly filed inventory of recent books, and we hit the fitness center (but not enough).

Walking the top deck on our cruise ship for exercise on most evenings, I was able to witness the gradual change from no moon to a full moon shining across the waters.

Ship pools by necessity have to be small.  When the ship is rocking in swells, the pool water splashes out onto the deck.

Formal meals at the restaurants onboard start about 1830 in the evening and reservations are quite often later than that.  Those rich meals will kill you.  All the expensive dishes you have yet to try, they are there for the asking.  With plenty of alcoholic drinks as well.  You will be at that dinner table for 1 1/2 hours if you include dessert (and why not?).  This was the longest cruise we have experienced, and I came home slightly heavier(!) because of it.  Dawn and I ultimately cancelled the remainder of our dinner reservations and instead ate an earlier and quicker meal at the buffet cafe.  We always used the stairs and walked laps on the top-level walking track after sunset to get some exercise.

So many excellent food items are available that we must consciously refrain from trying to sample it all, a real “first world” problem.  My lactose intolerance actually makes it easier for me to pass up many of the rich foods.  A drawback of cruising is the widespread obesity encountered among passengers.  It may not be contagious, but it is scary to observe.

As a comparatively small ship on a world cruise, this ship stops in ports that are off the usual cruise itineraries.  Who has ever heard of Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Muara, Semarang, Surabaya, or Waingapu?  These are some of our ports visited.  

The most profound issue we faced was mentally dealing with the disparity in the quality of life for the hundreds of millions of people who live in these third world countries.  US citizens who criticize the United States should live in one of these countries for a while to experience firsthand the struggle entailed in basic life there.  People, as individuals, have the same aspirations and concerns everywhere, but all cultures are NOT equal.  I see these people ‘trapped’ in their traditional, backwards, discriminatory, short-sighted ways of living that will never change.  The obstacles are too great.

These people are not stupid, and they are not lazy.  They only lack opportunity.  We, in the United States, have hints of the same problems that these people experience daily.  We need to be educated, informed, and jealously guard our responsibilities and freedom.

Benoa, Bali, plus Sumba, Komodo

Statue at the entrance to Ulun Danu Temple

I was told that this is the actual "temple", but it looks more like an isolated monument to me.  Still, it is very scenic to behold.

The temple grounds included extensive gardens.

We spent three days at the island of Bali.  For the 2nd and 3rd days we were tied up to a pier at Benoa.  Benoa is the main tourist destination on Bali.  At Perth, Australia, I was told that Bali is only a two-hour flight away, convenient for even a weekend trip.  Workers from the Australian mines would go to Bali to drink and party.  Prices on Bali are lower than Perth, so the partiers could save money as well.

The traffic getting to Ulun Danu Temple was fierce.

At one point on our bus was held up by hundreds of Hindu worshipers headed for the local temple for a religious service. At a point ahead, all the worshipers were crossing the road unto a side path.

From there, Dawn and I went on a bus excursion to Ulun Danu Temple, likely the most scenic location on the island.  It was a Saturday, and the grounds included plenty of local visitors, but there was room for all.  The drive there was about 40 miles and took two hours.  The traffic was endless.  Again, for almost the entire distance except when passing through some rice paddies, the narrow roads were lined with shops and homes located right at the edge of the pavement. The Temple grounds are located at the edge of a lake with mountains in the background.  The elevation was about 2,000 feet, high enough that the temperature was pleasant, in the 70’s.

Very beautiful scenery.  The northern part of Bali is mountainous; the south is somewhat level.  This lake is in a valley at the base of the northern mountains.

Not sure what the boats are used for, but they present a colorful scene. 

Hinduism includes worship of a mountain god and a water god….very in touch with nature.  However, Dawn and I noted that wherever there was a steep embankment at the edge of the road, not otherwise occupied, there were mounds of trash (bags, baskets, and other castoffs) which had been pitched off the edge of the road, not scenic or in harmony with nature.

Benoa harbor, as the center of foreign tourism, was full of wave runners, speed boats, waterskiing, parasailing, and party boats.

A large party boat heading out.  Does it include free drinks?  I would guess so.

Our long bus ride to Lake Bratan and Ulun Danu temple.

Our visit to Bali has been educational and has greatly changed our perception of this tropical ‘paradise’.  We have no interest in ever returning here.

From Bali, our cruise ship went to Waingapu on the Indonesian island of Sumba.  This island is further to the east and more isolated.  When we disembarked the ship for an excursion into town, we were met with a beat-up old van, ratted-out interior, missing external parts, open windows (no A/C), and very limited seating.  We rode that van into town.... and stayed in our seats all the way back to our ship.  The town was so depressing, crude shops, no well-maintained buildings, that there was nothing 'interesting' for us to look at; just hot and dusty.  We had seen enough poverty already.

Fishing boat on the lookout for prey at the edge of a large coral reef.

Note the tall single mast on both boats; probably not CG approved.

Near to our ship was a very large coral reef complex. It was low tide, and the reef was almost exposed.  About a hundred people were out wading on the reef looking for sea creatures that they could pluck out and take home for dinner.  A few boats were cruising at the edge of the reef with spotters atop a mast, apparently also looking for marine prey.

The following day, our cruise ship, Insignia, was at Komodo Island, the home of the famous Komodo Dragon.  We were anchored out; the island is part of a national park and purposely kept isolated.  The only way to get shore was to sign up for a short and expensive boat ride to shore and a walk to hopefully come across some dragons. We elected to stay aboard.  Komodo Island is also known as an excellent snorkeling/scuba location, but our ship had no provision for such activities.

Komodo Island, very little sign of development except for the offshore boats bringing tourists.

Dawn and I were not eager to walk the rugged landscape of Komodo Island and meet a Dragon at ground level.  Fellow passengers who did go on the excursion didn't have much to report except, "Yes, we saw one."