WanderlustandWhimSea

Malaysia is a gentle entry for a westerner into Asia. First, they use the English Alphabet so although you don’t know what the writing says at least you can read it. Actually, there are quite a few signs in English as well.  Second, most of the stops had at least 1 western style toilet. Third,… Continue reading Malaysia – A Great Gateway into Asia

I have done a lot of traveling over the years, and I’ve been fortunate to share the experiences with friends and family. The Asia travel is quite different, as I am a Solo Traveler for the first time. I have cobbled together an aggressive itinerary that has me all over the place joining travel groups… Continue reading Solo Travel -The First Debacle

I arrived in Singapore at 11pm after a long flight from Australia, it looked much closer on the map when I was planning the trip, but I guess all distance is relative! Due to my late arrival and earlier departure, I booked a hotel room in Singapore Airport that charged by the hour.  Before you… Continue reading Nap time in Singapore

While we made a quick drive by in Sydney, we loitered in the Great Barrier Reef.  It seems like a lot of my adventures involve really small planes and questionable landing zones, and this was no exception. We boarded a small plane that took a low-level flight following the Great Barrier Reef several hundred kilometers… Continue reading The Great Barrier Reef Lived up to its name!

To say I’ve seen Sydney would be a gross exaggeration! Our ship arrived in Sydney and we were greeted with this lovely sunrise behind the Opera House. I would have included the selfie of the same view, but I consistently look like a crazy person in selfie photos. I’m not sure if my arms aren’t… Continue reading Sydney Drive By

We decided to take a walk through the Australian bush in search of Koala’s and Kangaroos and were excited to find both.  The Kangaroos were easy to find but we had to approach at an angle to not frighten them off.   They were a hoot to watch hopping around and they were fortunate to… Continue reading Into the Bush of Australia

We had one of those rare days where all the elements of Mother Nature and itinerary conspired to create the perfect day to travel through the Fjords of New Zealand. It was amazing as our 974 foot ship was able to weave through a series of Fjords and there were only a few times when… Continue reading The Fjords of New Zealand

New Zealand treated us to some lovely early fall weather and we took advantage with a Bike ride in Napier and a Tryke ride in Rotarua.  In Napier we biked around the seashore and it was heaven, even on a 3-gear bike. Of course, we stopped to check out the first watering hole and enjoyed… Continue reading Bikes, Trykes, and Yellow Eyed Penguins

Wow what a journey to get to New Zealand – 5 hour flight from Miami to LAX, 6 hour flight from LAX to Honolulu, 9 hour flight from Honolulu to Auckland.  I feel sort of silly about a few of the surprises upon arrival. First, I never stopped to think about what side of the… Continue reading Chicken Crisp Cultural Divide

No I didn’t disappear but for the past month but I had my head down studying! The crazy nearly round world we live in creates all kinds of challenges for the Mariner. Those of you who know me well, realize I am more of a strategic thinker and planner and I get quickly bored with… Continue reading Navigation would be so much easier if the earth were flat!