10 Days in Bali with a side of Taiwan

We spent a wonderful 10 days in Bali in early October, along with a 24 hour layover on the return flight in Taiwan. Bali has a familiar Southeast Asian Feel, combined with that more relaxed island vibe.

We rented a long term scooter delivered for the airport, and after an overnight and half day in the capital of Denpasar, we headed North to Candidasa for a day of temple exploration and a day in the water,  before heading inland to Mt. Batur. From there is was due north to see the coast,and back down to Ubud, with a few waterfalls mixed in.  After relaxing in Ubud, and accidentally almost going to a royal wedding,  we had our scooter picked up, and then were taken to a ferry for a few days on the small islands (Nusa) of Ceningan and Lembongan. After Snorkeling and exploring, we returned to the mainland for a final day to see one last temple and the local zoo, before flying to Taipei.

A quick 24 hours in Taipei involved a late night walk through one of the night markets, and  a full day of touring some national parks, before the long return flight(s) home.

Overall? Bali is vibrant and gorgeous, with everything you would expect from a tropical volcanic island paradise, and a culture that adores art, color, and dance. The worst thing I can say is I got a little bored with the local food, and found myself to resorting to more western meals, something I never do. That said, we didn't put a lot of effort into choosing meal locations, so it could be bad luck, or that my hopes were Thailand and Cambodia high.

Taipei is a well organized city, and feels immediately comfortable, The day we visited it was moody weather, and had that Coastal California feel. The food here was everything I wanted it to be.

As with everywhere I go, I wish I had more time in both places. Even 10 days in Bali is too short partly because it takes time to get around on the smaller roads, and partly because the beaches and bungalows are almost too good to ever leave and see other sites. 

Australia and New Zealand sites and sounds

If you have been hoping for a fun travel video about a few spots around New Zealand and Sydney Aus, featuring fun musical selections, here it is!

Come for the whales and platypus, stay for the sad penguin

A Week in the Canadian South: Thoughts

I've technically been to Canada a few times before, although not for long, and never to really get out of a given city. But this year we were able to take the first week of July in Ontario, venturing as far north as Agawa Canyon in the west, and Finlayson Point in the East, both of which are commonly refereed to as being part of northern Ontario.  This distinction I can understand, given the population center is around Toronto, but looking at a map, it's strange to see such a huge geographic area included in the north, while only a tiny part is considered southern.

But Ontario really is the southern province of Canada, and the weather was pleasant by our standards the week we visited, although a little hot to the locals. In the South, From Toronto down to to the U.S. border at Detroit, we were struck by how diverse, and seemingly integrated, the area is. This was apparent during musical celebrations downtown for Canada Day (July 1st)  and also in the myriad of dining options. In my two visits to the Toronto area I've had pretty authentic pub food, ethiopian, dim sum, lebanese, and even some Portuguese custard tarts. That's barely the tip of the iceberg. No other city comes to mind as having quite such a diverse populace.

Heading farther north, we visited the popular Georgia Bay Peninsula, Manitoulin Island, and Provincial parks across the rest of southern northern Ontario, before visiting Algonquin on our return to Toronto. We will have to return another time to see Ottawa, and other spots farther east. The northern areas are much more rural, fluctuating between the rolling farmland in the eastern half of the U.S. and the granite, pine, and moose terrain found in parts of the western US.

We spent most of our time camping in provincial parks, hiking, kayaking and swimming, combined with a fair amount of driving. It's a beautiful area, dominated by cottage lined lakes and more Canadian flags than people. The provincial parks only provide limited access to what is still a largely wild place. To explore farther, we would need more time and a boat. The provincial parks are geared towards stay in place vacations, the summer camping experience, rather than the Great American Roadtrip. Still, we found plenty to do, and were able to check off
a list of iconic wildlife, from geese, loons, and cranes, to beavers, porcupines, bear and moose. 

An Amazing Two Weeks in East Africa

March 2018, after nearly 8 years, we finally returned to Africa, this time to the east African countries of Kenya and Uganda.  Here's a brief overview: 

We first headed to the Masai Mara, visited a Masai village, then went on a game drive with a highlight of seeing a pair of giraffes "necking" 

The next day was a full 12 hour game drive where we spotted 4 cheetahs, a nest of 9 sleeping lion cubs, even more lions, antelopes of all kinds, 2 leopards, hyenas, hippos, and so much more. Highlight: coming upon that second leopard, who had been resting in tall grass right by the road. Our driver/guide momentarily thought his tail was a snake in the road. And when the large male got up and moved to a termite mound just feet away, we had him all to ourselves. 

A visit to Lake Nokuru. This used to house massive flocks of feeding flamingos, but the water level has gone up, making most of the lake too deep for feeding. But it is still easy to see quite a bit of wildlife here, and smaller flocks of flamingos. Highlight: mom and baby rhino in the far distance, lone male rhino right up close, and Rothschild's giraffes close to the road as well.

Murchison falls national park:  Cruise up the river, to see the base of this massive falls, then drive to the top for lunch.  Highlight: Chimp trekking elsewhere in the park, we found a family group and watched a juvenile strip branches of blooms. 

Nile River Sunset Cruise: Jinja. Water levels have changed here too, this time due to a dam. However, the river cruise between 2 dams proved to be fantastic birding, as we were able to see many shore, wading, and water species we hadn't seen elsewhere. Highlight, a troupe of red tailed monkeys

Lake Bunyonyi: beautiful mountain lake, smaller wildlife, and a pleasant accommodation. We even saw an otter here. A visit to the displaced pygmy village was not educational to their culture or history, however, the people depend on such visits as they appear to live in total poverty. 

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. A visit to see mountain gorillas, which you can see nowhere else in the world but this and one other park. We joined a family of 4 (silverback, 2 females, and a year old baby) for an hour. They seemed almost completely unconcerned by our presence. Beautiful, and a little smelly.