Just another day in Paradise – in Bali

It’s that time of year again – February. Cold weather and short days. Every year at this time, I start to daydream about sunnier climes, and long ago vacations taken to these tropical locales. Then I torture myself relive those special moments by writing about one of those long ago journeys to sunny paradise. Somehow,…

Read More

Relaxing in Ubud’s Lotus Cafe, Bali

The town of Ubud, in the center of Bali, Indonesia, is a relaxing place to visit. My sons and I had fun exploring when we were here for a holiday and made Ubud our base for some days. One place we stopped off at a few times in our wanderings around town was the pretty Lotus…

Read More

Dubai’s ‘Venice’

Madinat Jumeirah is the so-called Venice of the Dubai. We were here on our 24-whirlwind race around the Dubai during a short stop-over on a flight to the Maldives. If you’re in the Dubai, it’s worth getting to Madinat Jumeirah for a short wander. We stopped here on our quest to see everything of interest…

Read More

Crossing the Dubai Creek on an abra

The abra is fun to watch as it crosses from one side of the Dubai Creek to the other, from Bur Dubai to Deira. The abra is a traditional boat made of wood that serves as a water taxi. The crossing costs 1 dirham, and is paid on board to the ferry captain. We had…

Read More

Pining away for the Palm Beach resort, Maldives

I don’t know what it is about the first week of February, but whenever it rolls around I see I’m writing travel posts from tropical locales I’ve visited earlier. Apparently, I’m sick of the cold and want to bask in memories of lounging on warm beaches. This year is no exception. Last Easter, I was…

Read More

Gone fishing … in Bali

I’ve never been much of a fisherwoman. I love eating fish, but I don’t have the patience or passion to go out there with a  fishing rod to try to catch them myself. My oldest son, on the other hand, loves fishing. So when I was in  the coastal area of Nusa Dua in Bali,…

Read More

Shopping mall tourism? The Dubai

I was in the Dubai, United Arab Emirates this past spring, and I must admit I was rather unmoved by what seems to be the national pastime, and a prime reason for visiting for many tourists – shopping. Yes, in the Dubai, you can literally shop until you drop. But, even if you’re not a…

Read More

Visiting Taipei’s Longshan Temple and Herb Lane, Taiwan

I loved my visit to Taiwan, and I’ve already written about many areas of interest to see in the country, and in its capital, Taipei. Taipei also boasts beautiful Buddist temples, perhaps chief among them is the Longshan Temple. The temple was first constructed, on a much smaller scale, in 1738. Today, it is considered…

Read More