House Changes
And one of YinYang enjoying the sunshine this morning and waving hello, for good measure!!
Yes, she is laying on my zip-up sleeping bag with arms from when I was a wee one!!
Panama Canal Cruise coming up! [2013]
I put together a planning website for our trip - should be a blast!
http://sites.google.com/site/panamacanalcruz
We probably won't be able to post pictures as we go, but I'll do that as it becomes available.
Whee!!!
Map of vacation pictures
Here's a map showing where I have traveled and a sample image from each place!
Next up - Miami, Costa Rica, Philadelphia, London [2005]
Itinerary, for future reference:
First - Meet Anette in Miami (no hurricanes!) Sept 28 - San Diego to Miami (a-8:32p) - overnight: Colony Hotel: http://www.colonyhotelsouthbeach.com Sept 29 – Miami – overnight: Colony Hotel Sept 30 - Key West - overnight: Chelsea House: http://www.chelseahousekw.com Oct 1 - Key West, Fort Lauderdale - overnight: with Anette's parents in Fort Lauderdale
Then - Costa Rica!!! Oct 2 - Miami to San Jose (a-12:33p) - overnight: Rosa del Paseo Hotel (RP): http://www.rosadelpaseo.com Oct 3 - San Jose to Tortuguero - boat tours, night turtle walk : http://www.tortuguerocanals.com - overnight: Laguna Lodge: http://www.lagunatortuguero.com Oct 4 - Tortuguero to San Jose - overnight: RP Oct 5 - San Jose to Pacuare – rafting - overnight: Pacuare Lodge (PL): http://www.junglelodgecostarica.com Oct 6 - Pacuare – morning butterfly walk, zip lines or hike - overnight: PL Oct 7 - Pacuare – same - overnight: PL Oct 8 - Pacuare to San Jose - overnight: RP Oct 9 - San Jose to Drake Bay - snorkel, kayak - overnight: Drake Bay Wilderness Resort (DB): http://www.drakebay.com Oct 10 - Drake Bay - Cano Island or Corcovado - overnight: DB Oct 11 - Drake Bay - same - overnight: DB Oct 12 - Drake Bay - Mangrove Island, horseback riding, Rio Claro, kayaking, butterfly farm, canopy tour, swim with dolphins or Violines Island - overnight: DB Oct 13 - Drake Bay to San Jose to Miami - overnight: Miami International Airport Hotel: http://www.miahotel.com
After that, it's back northeast to visit the family in Philly, including a quick hop across the pond for a Sri Lanka team reunion in London (Oct 28-31 - Ramada Hotel & Suites, Docklands).
Ready to go! [2005]
Ready to go! I'm ready a whole 20 minutes early - not sure that has ever happened to me before :) Just waiting for Danielle to pick me up - she's driving me up to LAX. Hopefully it won't take more than 2 hours, but we'll see how the traffic is. Thanks Danielle!!!!!
It still doesn't feel real, but I am ready!
Some websites: Sri Lanka Beach Cleanup Project: http://www.i-to-i.com/other/project/sri_con_beach.htm Home base - Kalutara: http://www.travelsrilanka.com/travel/towns/kalutara/index.php Sri Lanka news: http://www.island.lk/ Sri Lanka Tourism site: http://www.srilankatourism.org/
Sri Lanka [2005]
Just in case... Flight there, through Singapore leaves LAX 9:20pm Fri the 8th, arrive in Columbo 10:50am on Sun the 10th. (Singapore SQ19, Emitates EK6176) (renting car to drive from San Diego to LA)
First night: Blue Seas Guesthouse, 9/6 De Saram Rd, Mount Lavinia Rest of the time: Dias Sea Resort, 183 Abrew Rd, Kalutara N
Main Contacts: me: byentz@yahoo.com, 858 349 8926 (I'll have my cell, but not sure of the coverage)
i-to-i desk in UK: Susanna Lutman susanna.lutman@i-to-i.com ++44 113 205 4637
In Sri Lanka: Hemamali Palihakkara (Dr Pali) h.palihakkara@i-to-i.com ++0777-247848 (cell)
Emergency: ++44 (0) 113 205 4614
Flight home (all on the 24th), through Singapore leaves Columbo 7:10am, arrive LAX 5:30pm (Emirates EK6174, Singapore SQ20). (renting car to drive home that night)
Columbo
We spent our first night in Columbo, and then headed off to Kalutara.
Kalutara
We stayed here while we did tsunami cleanup work.
Kandy
We had a long weekend off, and headed to Kandy.
Negumbo
The last night in country we spent partying in Negumbo.
Round the World - Preview and Itinerary [2000]
9/1/2000 - 9/23/2000
Where: Ireland
Lodging Info: Celtic Guesthouse - 81-82 Talbot St, Dublin 1; www.celticlodge.com
Flight In: LAX-LHR 8/31 8:25pm-2:45pm (British Airways 268); LHR-DUB 9/1 5:25pm-6:40pm (British Midland 131)
Flight Out: DUB-LHR 9/23 5:10pm-6:25pm (British Midland 130); LGW-NBO 9/23 10:15pm-8:40am (British Airways 2069)
To See: Dublin + musical pub crawl, Book of Kells, Guinness Brewery, Dublin Castle, Old Jameson Distillery, Phoenix Park, Kilmainham Jail, Kildare, Clonmacnoise, Tara Belfast + Ballycastle, Rathlin Island, Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery Galway + Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, Inaishmaan, Liscannor's Holy Well of St Brigid
9/24/2000 - 10/13/2000
Where: Kenya
Lodging Info: 9/24 and 10/12 : Fairview Hotel - 10 Bishops Road, Nairobi; www.fairviewkenya.com
Earthwatch Study: Saving Kenya’s Black Rhinos, Ol Pejeta Ranch on Sweetwaters Research Centre - PO Box 167, Nanyuki
Flight Out: NBO-TNR 10/13 10:15am-2:30pm (Air Madagascar 739)
To See: Animals on Sweetwaters Game Reserve, Goodall Chimpanzee Reserve, Hike Mt Kenya, Nairobi
Notes
- Nairobi - We stayed in Nairobi on the first and last nights – a very crowded and dirty city.
- Sweetwaters Reserve - I stayed at the Sweetwaters reserve while doing the black rhino Earthwatch study. It was incredible!
- Mount Kenya - To top off my Kenya experience, I climbed Mt Kenya – it was very tough and I got lost at one point!!
10/13/2000 - 10/20/2000
Where: Madagascar
Lodging Info: 10/13 and 10/19 : Hotel Colbert - 23 Rue Printsy Ratsimamanga, Antaninarenina Antanananarivo 10/14-15 : Vakona Forest Lodge - Andasibe / Perinet 10/16-18 : Relias du Masoala - Ambatomasina-Andranonangozy BP10 Maroantsetra
Flights: 10/16 : Toamasina-Sambava-Maroantsetra (Air Madagascar) 10/19 : Maroantsetra-Antalaha-Antanananarivo (Air Madagascar)
Flight Out: TNR-NBO 10/20 5:30am-8:45am (Air Madagascar 730); NBO-MRU 10/20 10:20am-3:20pm (Air Mauritius 535)
To See: Parc National d'Andasibe-Mantadia (Perinet), Nosy Mangabe, Masoala Peninsula, lemurs!
Notes
- Antananarivo - Madagascar’s capital city is noisy, dirty and shockingly poor.
- Toamasina - We drove from Tana to Toamasina through Perinet Reserve.
- Maroantsetra - I stayed in a wonderful hotel across the bay from Nosy Mangabe.
10/20/2000 - 10/21/2000
Where: Mauritius
Lodging Info: Port Louis
Flight Out: MRU-PER 10/21 10:20am-9:30pm (Air Mauritius 940)
Notes
- Port Louis - I just stayed overnight here – and it was a bit too much of a European playground after my weeks in Kenya and Madagascar.
10/21/2000 - 10/22/2000
Where: Australia
Lodging Info: Perth
Flight Out: PER-SYD 10/22 11:25am-6:20pm (Quantas 64); SYD-CHC 8:00pm-12:55am (Quantas 65)
10/23/2000 - 10/25/2000
Where: New Zealand
Lodging Info: Christchurch
Flight Out: CHC-AKL 10/25 11:10am-12:30pm (Air New Zealand 516); AKL-TBU 2:00pm-5:50pm (Royal Tongan 213)
To See: Swim with dolphins in Kaikoura, Christchurch, snowboarding at Mt Hutt, jet boating
10/25/2000 - 10/28/2000
Where: Tonga
Lodging Info: 10/25 : horrible guest house, Nuku'alofa 10/26 : Hilltop Guest House, Neiafu, Vava'U 10/27 : International Dateline Hotel - Vuna Road, Nuku'alofa
Flight Out: TBU-NAN 10/28 10:20am-10:50pm (Royal Tongan 305)
Notes
- Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu - I spent a miserable first night in a rooming house, and a better night in the dorm-like Dateline Hotel. Beautiful, but the locals are a little too friendly.
- Neiafu on Vava’u - I had a nice few days here, wandering around the island and meeting Kiwi fishermen!
10/28/2000
Where: Fiji
Flight Out: NON-LAX 10/28 10:00pm-1:20pm (American Airlines 739)
Notes
- Nadi - I only had an afternoon here, and went on a pretty tense driving tour – they were gearing down from a coup a few months earlier.