Explore the World with Wisdom and Wonder
Today is the first day I think it has rained in New York City since we arrived two weeks ago. But I am sure it won’t be our last as rain is predicted intermittently for the upcoming week. While I wasn’t feeling up to getting out, I had stayed home yesterday, so I felt a little walk was necessary. I have rediscovered that I need a day a week at home – not going out. I have known this for some time but felt that being in New York City might be different. It isn’t. The rain was mild, and…
Well, we have settled in Manhattan. We are so fortunate. No, I realize that this won’t be as relaxing for Louise, and she has to work weekdays. New York City is in OverDrive, and so there’s a lot of stress and pressure on her. For me, it is pure joy. Our two-bedroom apartment is in Lower Midtown, and it’s a little bit bigger, in fact than our Montreal condo. Let’s say it’s remarkable being on the 20th floor. The view is outstanding. I am so spoiled. Can you imagine that I get to live for four months in midtown? We…
This is the story of our 85-day trip around the world going westward. We started our trip on September 28, 2022, and arrived home on December 21, 2022, in time for Christmas – 20 plane legs later. I hope you’ll join us on this journey, and you can join us on our adventures by going to DAY ONE or joining at any point by looking at the individual days listed to the right. You may have to scroll down a little. We’d miss travelling since Covid, but that wasn’t the reason. Last June, having turned 70 recently and seeing health…
You are bound to be forced to use underground parking on your travels. It may be because of the hotel, shopping malls, or a crowded city centre. They can be nerve-racking at the best of times, but the first time is always the most challenging. For this reason, I prefer to rent a smaller car than a bigger one in Europe. Let this story be a lesson to us all! Let me preface my comments by saying that Place des Arts is a wonderful venue, and I have been many times. If you have an event there, it is in…
It feels like we have come home. The typical Wellington Lookout stormy weather welcomed us. We relaxed most of the day at our dear friend Rebecca’s home right next to our old place. She drove us up to Khandallah Pharmacy, and the service woman said it had been quite a while since she had seen us. Our landlords had invited all of us for dinner. 37B – Ben and Becky, 37C (us), 37D – Rebecca and 37E – Ron and Lorraine. It was like we had never left.
Halloween is a big deal in the states, but it seems to take on a new meeting here in Waikiki. People started in the stores dressing up the day before. Families appear to come out with their little kids to all the stores with a little bucket of candy they give out. Everyone seems to dress up whether they are going to a party or not. However, it seems to get a little rowdy once the kids are gone. The police are out keeping a watchful eye. From Hugh Hefner to Bette Midler to Marilyn and Elvis. Halloween In Honolulu…
Renting a car in Honolulu is costly; parking alone is $35 a night at the hotel. Others told us we didn’t have a car, as buses could go all around the island. No one told us it would be hours and hours going around the island. I convinced Louise to take the Golden Circle Tour of O‘ahu, which meant getting up a little earlier than we liked. It was nine hours long, had 12 stops, and was inexpensive. They did advertize that they would pick us up at our hotel, but they didn’t. The meeting point was only a five-minute…
I wouldn’t say I like the heat here, and it’s not even hot compared to what it can be in the summer. I have fallen in love with shaved ice; They’re way better than mai tais and perfect in this heat. They’re very popular here, and they are pretty good. It reminds me of the first time I ever experienced a snowcone at Expo 67 in Montréal. Today our goal was to walk along the beaches. We picked up a couple of chairs and an umbrella and sat on the beach. We did a little dip in the water, but…
No pictures today of Maui except for the one down towards Waikiki Beach. We checked out of our lovely place in Piaha at 10 AM and had a few hours before our flight left at 3 PM. We went and rechecked the surfers for a bit of a while at Ho’okipa Beach Park. Ho’okipa Lookout For watching the surfers and epic surf, Ho’okipa Lookout is the place to be. The lookout is on the edge of a cliff overlooking “Pavilions” – the popular surfing-end of the beach. Conditions permitting, more adventurous folks walk down toward the tip of the rocky…
Today’s adventure was to Haleakala National Park, with a top altitude of 10,023 feet. That is quite a climb when you think that we started from the ocean, practically at sea level, to climb up 10k feet through many winding hairpin turns. I must say the road is in excellent condition. We went in and out of the various low-lying cloud layers. Sometimes, we were in heavy mist, and it was like rain and other times, blazing sun. We made our way up to the volcano crater and took a short walk to look down and see the magnificent sight….