America

Texas

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Texas is the second largest US state (after Alaska) and includes 269,000 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation’s total area. It extends nearly 1,600 km from north to south and about the same distance from east to west.

We have all heard about how big Texas is. So in terms of reference for all of the Aussie readers, four of our six states are all bigger than Texas and the NT is double its size. It is almost (87%) the size of NSW or 37% as big as Queensland and about a quarter the size of WA.

The area that is now Texas was part of the Spanish Empire for more than a century. It then became part of the new country of Mexico from 1821 to 1836, when it gained its independence. It then operated for a short time as an independent republic before joining the Union.

Now let’s not be silly, we have all seen the cowboy movies of a raw and lawless frontier but now it is known for its agricultural wealth, oil and natural gas production, big cities and cattle. That said, the locals still identify strongly with their cowboy roots.

The Rio Grande is the most important river in Texas. It flows about 3,060 kilometres from its source in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado into the Gulf of Mexico (now apparently to be renamed to the Gulf of America), and its Texas segment forms the border between the United States and Mexico.

OK…back to the movies. I have seen tons of cowboy movies and have yet to see a cold cowboy.

But we arrived in the middle of a cold snap and it was freezing…literally.

A series of cold fronts coupled with a surge of arctic air moved into Southeast Texas, dropping temperatures below freezing. The cold snap brought the coldest air of the season with hard freezes. The airports (particularly Houston) were closed, snow landed on us, cars were covered in snow and ice was all over the sides of the roads.

And we were broadly ill-equipped.

Curtis and Mark

Our trip to Texas was part of our ‘see different cruise ship ports’ concept. While on the various segments of the World Cruise we shared a dinner table and became great friends with Mark and Curtis, a couple that lived in Dallas.

When we mentioned our trip they offered to drive down (a 5-6 hour drive) to meet us and show us around.

More than that, Curtis had put together the most amazing schedule of definite and possible trips that we could do on our road trip. We (Jill) provided some guidance, but for the most part, Curtis just put together a fantastic schedule for us.

Galveston

The City of Galveston came into being in 1839 and has functioned as the main port and gateway to the Southwest. The city’s transport was integral in developing the area. It sits on a 50 km long island just off the coast (about 80km southeast of Houston and pretty much solely relies on the port, beaches and tourism.

Our first foray saw us being picked up from the Houston Airport and delivered to our hotel (which as it happened had burnt down). We arrived to a roped-off hotel with obvious scorch marks all over the outside and guys pulling debris out.

Thankfully our driver didn’t just dump and run but went in to check. Long story short, we found ourselves being moved to another nearby hotel.

On a side note on our driver, I noticed he was drinking Dr Pepper. Having heard of it but never tasted it, I asked what flavour it actually was.

He explained that it was a Texas specialty that they had grown up on.

After our hotel debacle, he made a pit stop and whilst inside he shouted us two cans, just to be nice.

We drank it (later on) and found it not to our taste.

Galveston holds the unenviable record of being the last bastion for legal slavery in all of America. Juneteenth honours the date (19 June 1865 ) when 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas received word that they had been freed from bondage and were declared free. 

The first entry saw the weather being very cold and we were being buffeted by offshore winds making the cold temperatures seem even worse. So we went to the closest restaurant that we could walk to. A Vietnamese / Cajun fusion joint. Now if this seems both odd and a little wrong to you, then you would be correct.

After this we hopped a cruise into Mexico for a week before getting off and being met by Curtis and Mark.

Our return journey to Galveston (after the road trip with the boys) saw us coming into a town with snow on the ground. Thankfully we had a vehicle so were not stuck with walking distance. A great Texan saloon had me starting with a prawn and cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper, before trying some of Curtis’ chicken fried steak (like a beef schnitzel with a white sauce), before getting into my main of ribs and chicken. All of this washed down with a local Bock beer.

Houston

Having left Galveston for a cruise (the first time) we were picked up on arrival by the boys (Curtis and Mark) and did the quick (45 minute) hop up the road to Houston with our first stop being the beer can house. The owner (a retired upholsterer) started in 1968 when he began inlaying thousands of marbles, rocks, and metal pieces into concrete so as to avoid having to mow the lawn.

When the entire front and back yard were completely covered he turned to the house itself. He began flattening aluminium beer cans to create siding for the house. Over the next 18 years, the house disappeared under a cover of flattened beer cans. He then added decorative garlands (wind chimes) made of cut beer cans hanging from the roof edges.

Interestingly, the aluminium siding lowered the family’s energy bills. The owner drank (with a little help from his friends) all of the beer cans that were used.

The next proposed stop was Hermann Park, a 445 acre park in the centre of town. But a tight schedule and freezing temperatures saw us bypassing this and moving on.

San Antonio

From Houston, we kept zooming across to the town of San Antonio which is primarily known as the home of the Alamo. This is where Texas defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna and the phrase ‘Remember the Alamo’ originated. The Alamo is considered the cradle of Texas liberty and the state’s most popular historic site.

Established as a mission, it later became a military stronghold for Texas Independence. It is free to visit but you must still book a ticket (for scheduling of crowds). The place was freezing and the winds were howling. This was great for low crowds and getting photos, but not really ideal for hanging around and soaking up the history.

Curtis’ research had identified the best sandwich joint in the area.

So we managed a stop at the dodgy little hole in the wall with amazing food and service.

Jill and I split one, before going back and getting another (different) one. They were that good.

Austin

The next stop was the capital city of Austin which is located on the Colorado River in south-central Texas with a population of just under a million.

The city dates back to the 1830’s, when the first settlers arrived in the area. Originally called the village of Waterloo, it was the first permanent settlement in the area. By 1839 the name Austin was adopted and the frontier town would become the capital of the Republic of Texas.

Our accommodation was a shared room at a local hostel so rather than trip over each other all night, we headed downstairs to the built-in speakeasy (hidden access behind the bookcase).

Finding the place playing rubbish music, too loud, and being infested by screaming women (Americans really do not have an inside voice), our visit was a short one.

The next stop was out to a local (gay) bar that saw us listening to great music and sampling some local brews at a great price of $7 a pitcher (jug). We kicked back here (The Iron Bear) in the warm and settled in while watching the snow fall on the vehicles outside.

The plan for the next day was to walk around town taking in the local sights. But I (and thankfully Mark too) am quite the wuss when it comes to cold weather. Our parking required us to move the car and the thought of walking on snow-covered ground in sub-zero temperatures did not appeal. It even froze the running waters in the fountains.

In reality, had the weather been more conducive, the planned day would have been eminently walkable. But instead, we drove short hops between the tourist sights rather than doing the planned walking route. In reality we probably missed out on some of the cool things on offer, but we did stay warm.

The tourist blurb claimed that the Barton Springs Pool is a swimmer’s paradise that features clear water fed from underground springs that stays a refreshing 68 degrees year-round, along with grassy hills for sunbathing.

Just minutes from downtown the pool is located in the heart of the 360-acre Zilker Park. Needless to say we did not do this in the snow. But our drive around town revealed a very pretty green city with lots of outdoor space that in all other seasons would be great.

Before starting the (next) day properly, we went across the road to the flash hotel for breakfast.

This saw Jill and I splitting a hot cinnamon bun with cream cheese frosting and having a coffee each.

It cost us $50 Aussie for this pleasure, but according to Jill it was worth it. So much so that we did it again the next day.

The first stop on our (now) driving trip was to see the worlds largest Longhorn, which is a statue bizarrely placed in the middle of a carpark near the heart of Austin.

The actual world’s largest longhorn is a steer named Poncho Via, who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest horn spread on a living steer. Poncho’s horns measure over 3 m from tip to tip.

The Littlefield Fountain monument was next. It was erected to honour the “Sons and Daughters of the University of Texas” who gave their lives during World War I. 

Rising behind the fountain is the University of Texas tower. This was the site of the University of Texas tower shooting in 1966, where a 25-year-old Marine veteran, shot and killed 15 people (including an unborn child) and injured 31 others before he was killed by police. You can’t climb the tower anymore.

The main feature in town is the impressive capitol building which is made from Texas pink granite. It served as the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1840-1842. We had seen it the night before all lit up, but now we got to go in and explore both the buildings and the impressive grounds.

And the grounds were pretty cool too.

Austin is considered the live music capital of the world (their claim). That said, there was an impressive number of saloons and bars along the streets that may give some credence to this claim (but without knowing, I think that New Orleans probably has a better claim).

The next stop was to the Museum of the Weird. This is one of the last remaining curio shows made famous by P.T. Barnum in the 1800’s. The place has monsters, zombies, mummies, shrunken heads and movie oddities. It was pretty lame, but for $12 its not like it broke the bank, so in we went.

There is a 10 mile hike and bike trail/boardwalk that loops around Lady Bird Lake. The trail varies from paved to packed dirt and crosses the lake at several points via pedestrian bridges if you want to cut it short. The south side provides views of the city skyline while the north side allows you to explore downtown Austin.

The lake was named after “Lady Bird” (Claudia Alta) Johnson the former first lady and wife of president Lyndon B Johnson. As first lady, she broke new ground by interacting directly with congress and making solo electioneering tours. She advocated beautifying the cities and highways claiming “Where flowers bloom, so does hope”. The eventual Highway Beautification Act became known as “Lady Bird’s Bill”.

One of the cooler things that we saw while wandering the streets of Austin was the Uber Eats delivery robot.

A rolling GPS-controlled travelling hotbox/esky that brings your food to you.

Very cool.

And of course, we finished Austin off with some Texas BBQ.

Smoked meats and sausages, ribs, brisket, corn bread and spicy mac and cheese.

Box ticked.

Waco

Leaving Austin we were heading to Fort Worth (Curtis had organised a Rodeo trip) but on the way we stopped at the town of Waco. To be honest the only thing that I knew about Waco before coming here was that it was the site of a shootout and siege (1993) between the ATF and the Branch Davidians. The original incident involved a shootout that killed 6 Branch Davidians and 4 agents. A 51 day siege followed that ended when they set fire to the facility killing 79 people, including leader David Koresh and 21 children.

Despite this, the town itself was quite lovely. Our first stop was to the riverfront to a tribute to the Chisolm Trail (an overland cattle drive route from Texas to Kansas through Indian territory).

The next stop was to wander along the Waco riverwalk (Jill and Curtis – Mark and I stayed in the warm car) where a series of very cool animal statues lined the riverside on the path towards the zoo.

The next stop was the Waco Mammoth National Monument which sits within 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. Designated a National Park the site is an active dig site for ice age mammoths.

A bunch of mammoths have been found embedded in the riverbank mud. For a measly $6USD you can get a guided tour and explanation about the discovery and excavation that started back in 1978 and continues through to today.

Silver Stars and Sixguns

Waco is home to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Ranger story begins in 1823, when there was a need for a body of men to protect the colony. Ten men were employed …to act as rangers for the common defence.

These men, not soldiers, not even militia, “ranged” the area, protecting settlers from Indians. When no threat seemed evident, the men returned to their families and land.

A former Ranger Captain once said “A Ranger is an officer who is able to handle any given situation without definite instructions from his commanding officer or higher authority. This ability must be proven before a man becomes a Ranger.” Despite the existence of other forms of law enforcement, the rangers have remained to this day.

Fort Worth

The road trip continued through to the city of Fort Worth. Formerly two separate cities, Dallas and Fort Worth have been joined by urban sprawl and are now connected by 30 miles of suburbs. We only had an overnight here, but Curtis had arranged it so that we were here for the first night of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

Now I had never been to a real rodeo. Jill had grown up with them, but I grew up in town. So this was my chance. The night we were there was part of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Professional Tour. Specifically, it was the Last Man Standing event, which meant that 40 riders rode 40 bulls over 4 days in a knockout format to determine an overall winner.

Now this is no dodgy bush rodeo. This was an indoor, air-conditioned 10 thousand (cushioned) seat stadium with all of the modern amenities that you would expect (maybe not from a rodeo though).

Big screen replays, closeups, interviews, fireworks displays, halftime shows (kids wrangling sheep) it had it all.

It even had an Australian (Queenslander) competing.

As it turns out he came third overall in the last man standing event after the 4 days of knockout.

At the time of writing the post he had won the next event and was the number one bull rider on the PBR.

The whole thing was full of 60kg kids (dumb enough to get on a bull in the first place) getting pummeled by monstrous animals.

There were a few older ones (one was 40) but they were the exception. And everybody limped.

We did get a beer at the beginning of the night, but stadium prices combined with big night atmosphere, meaning that it cost us $50 Aussie for 2 beers. We sipped them very slowly and went home having thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Dallas

Dallas was the next morning stop for us. Coming into town we got some pretty amazing cityscape views including the iconic Reunion Tower. This 171m (561 feet) tower has an observation deck (the GeO-Deck) at 143m (only 470) feet above street level. The tower offers a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view of the city.

Our time in Dallas was extremely limited (we had to get back to Galveston for another cruise) but we did get some time to poke about. One of the things on Curtis’ itinerary of possible things to do was to get into some of the iconic sites features on the old TV show Dallas. Being a bit young, and not really into soap operas we passed. But if this is your thing then it is certainly an option.

The first thing we did go to was the giant eyeball.

A 30-foot-tall fiberglass, resin, and steel sculpture is a replica of the artist’s own eye.

The eye made its debut in Dallas in 2013, since then, it has become the city’s most unique private event space hosting the annual Dallas Art Fair’s closing soirée, along with countless weddings, parties, yoga classes, and selfies.

The next was just checking out the funky buildings in and around the CBD. The tour included the infamous Pegasus that first landed in Downtown Dallas in 1934. It started its life atop the city’s (then) tallest building (the 29-story Magnolia Hotel) as a welcome to visiting petroleum gurus. A Pegasus is a mythological Greek symbol of wealth, power and fame it was adopted as the enduring symbol of Mobil.

On 22 November 1963, at around 12:30pm, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in an open-roofed Lincoln Continental motorcade in Dallas. As it was passing the Texas School Book Depository (now the Dallas County Administration Building) and Dealey Plaza. On a sunny day, with thousands of fans applauding.

The first bullet sparked off the pavement. The second burst through Kennedy’s shoulder and plunged into the thorax of Texas governor John Connally riding in the front seat immediately in front of Kennedy. The third and final shot blew Kennedy’s head into what soldiers call the “pink mist”, an explosion of blood and brain matter that left a crater in his head the size of a softball, and launched what was to become the mother of all conspiracy theories (skeptoid.com).

Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a recently hired employee at the Book Depository (L). The assassination spawned numerous conspiracy theories and included a likely shot from the grassy knoll (R). The conspiracy theories have become so prevalent that today, depending on which poll you look at, between 2/3 and 3/4 of Americans believe that Oswald was not the lone killer of Kennedy.

The most popular conspiracy theories include:

  • the Sicilian Mafia killing Kennedy – for his actions against organised crime;
    • the CIA – because of his dissatisfaction with their progress against the Cuban regime;
    • the FBI – for no clear reason but they seemingly must have
    • the Secret Service – also for no reason other than their failure to protect his life that day must have been deliberate;
    • the Soviet KGB, to retaliate against Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba;
    • the Ku Klux Klan – because Kennedy was a Catholic and a civil rights advocate instead of a Protestant and a racist;
    • Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson – as a way to succeed to the Presidency; and
    • Cuba’s Fidel Castro – to kill Kennedy before Kennedy could kill him.

And in all of these theories, and in scores and scores of others, there is always some implication that Lee Harvey Oswald was set up to be the fall guy due to some perceived connection. A short walk from here is the rather unassuming JFK memorial plaza.

Our Dallas pop-in done we were back on our roadtrip back to Galveston to hop on the next cruise ship. Now no road trip in Texas can be discussed without mentioning Buc-ees, which is a chain of super-sized petrol stations that are stupidly big. The number of pumps at a Buc-ee’s locations vary, but most have around 100 with the largest in Luling, Texas, which has 120 petrol (gas) pumps. This does not include the diesel pumps and EV charging stations.

Buc-ees has country stores and gas station locations in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri. According to Florida news, in 2025 Florida will build the newest Buc-ee’s. It will boast an 80,000-square-foot travel centre with 120 gas pumps and more than 720 parking spots for visitors. It already holds the world record for the biggest convenience store and the longest car wash.

The armadillo is the official state mammal and is one of my favourite looking beasts. Many armadillos escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety.

Road trip over.

So much thanks needs to be sent to both Mark and Curtis. Mark drove almost all the way and Curtis invested a huge amount of effort in the research and planning.

They joined us on the cruise and enjoyed it so much that they stayed on for another round, while we headed off to our next.

USA

US Virgin Islands

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The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that are part of the United States. The USVI includes St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, Water Island, and many smaller islands and cays. 

The first thing that you need to know is that if you are in the Caribbean and looking to shop, then this is the place to do it. St Thomas is designated duty free, but more importantly, people here are not looking to blindly profiteer like they are in most of the rest of the Caribbean.

By way of example, the ubiquitous Caribbean shirts can be bought on each and every island. They are of varying quality but the ones in the USVI are of excellent quality and will cost between $10-15 USD (depending on your negotiation skills). The ones on other islands are of lesser quality and asking prices will go as high as $100 USD with most places asking around $50.

St. Croix

St Croix is the largest of the USVI and over the years has flown the flags of Spain, The Netherlands, England, France, the Knights of Malta and Denmark.

There are two towns on the island, Christiansted and Frederiksted.

Our first foray here was a bit different from the usual cruise port. We were on a cruise from Port Canaveral and were due to get on another cruise going out of New Orleans and did not have enough time to get from Port Canaveral to New Orleans in time to get the next ship. So our alternative was to get off at St Croix, spend a couple of days, and fly to New Orleans (via Atlanta).

Our cruise ship dropped us off at the town of Frederiksted. It is the smallest of the two towns but has nice Victorian architecture and has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts after the return of the cruise ships. Frederiksted boasts a fort that once protected the island from both pirates and rival nations.

Fort Frederik, also known as Frederiksfort was built between 1752 and 1760 by Denmark-Norway to defend the economic interests of the natural deep water port of Frederiksted and to ward off pirates. It is from this fort that Danish Governor-General (Peter von Scholten) emancipated the slaves in 1848. The park surrounding the fort is now known as Emancipation Park.

The Frederiksted Pier is known for its sunsets and is a top spot for diving and snorkeling right off the pier. The area around the pier is teeming with marine life, making it an accessible and rewarding spot for underwater explorers. Additionally, the town of Frederiksted has charming streets and historic architecture that visitors can explore after a day in the water.

Having hopped off the ship with all of our stuff we negotiated a van to take us to the other side of the island to the town of Christiansted. Between the two towns are the ruins and remains of hundreds of former sugar and cattle estates.

Situated on the north shore of the island Christiansted was once the capital of the Danish West Indies and has many historic Danish buildings – typified by their buttery colour and red roofs. The main tourist thing around is the Christiansted National Historic Site.

The site consists of six historic structures: Fort Christiansværn (built between1738 and 1749), the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse (1749), the Church of Our Lord Sabaoth Steeple Building (1753), Customs House (built 1840-1842), the Scale House (1856), and Government House (1747). The Danish West India and Guinea Company held slave auctions in its warehouse until 1803, when the slave trade was outlawed.

Our accommodation was right near the water, just back from the walkway that had been built along the waterfront. The waterfront was small but full of activity with all of the expected bars and restaurants.

We found a place for afternoon drinks overlooking the water and after dark even found what passed as a credible attempt at a pizza.

The downside to St Croix was the locals. We were warned both by the taxi driver and again later by the local ranger that there was a defined area that was safe for tourists and that we should not stray beyond this area.

There was a really nice looking church/cathedral thing that usually we would have ventured to, but it was distinctly outside of the ‘safe zone’. While we are both pretty adventurous travellers, but neither of us are stupid. The ‘safe zone’ felt considerably less safe the further that you got from the centre, so going beyond just for a photo of a church seemed a bit excessive.

Point Udall is also on the island and marks the easternmost point in the United States with its signature sundial monument.

St. John

St John is the smallest and most unspoilt of the USVI. It is considered to have some of the most unspoiled land and underwater habitats in the Caribbean.

We did not go to St John but it offers crystal-clear, turquoise waters that provide views of sea turtles and rays along with coral and brilliantly coloured fish within mere meters of the shoreline. Making it one of the best places to snorkel in the Caribbean.

On the land is the 5,500-acre Virgin Islands National Park (more than half of the island) that is crisscrossed by more than three dozen hiking trails. The island has dozens of virtually crowd-free, white-sand beaches.

St. Thomas

St. Thomas is the most developed of the USVI and is the shopping capital of the Caribbean. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to buy goods duty-free.

We first came here back in 2019 as part of our (me and Jimmy) 50th birthday celebrations but did not do any sort of writeup or publish any of the pictures. As with this time around, we arrived by ship and were delivered to the main town of Charlotte Amalie.

The town itself is kinda cute as it sits on a beautiful harbour surrounded by blue waters on one side and green hills on the other. The town is dotted with quaint little cottages and powdery sand beaches.

St. Thomas is home to Fort Christian, built in 1680, the fort served as a critical point of defence and government during the entire period of the Dano-Norwegian, and later Danish, administration. This ended ended in 1917 when the islands were sold to the United States. It currently holds the St. Thomas Museum, which holds artifacts and art of the Dano-Norwegian period.

St Thomas is also home to Blackbeard’s Castle (currently closed due to cyclone damage). Originally erected in 1679 (by the Danes) as a watchtower to protect the harbour it was originally called Skytsborg (meaning protection castle). It sits at the highest point of Government Hill and was great for firing on enemy ships but not so good at seeing them enter the harbour in the first place.

It is not known when it took on the name of Blackbeard’s Castle, but the infamous pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard), sailed the Caribbean in the early 18th century. It has become part of the lore of the island that he used the tower as a lookout for his own purposes. It ended up as a private residence for many years, and was turned into a hotel, but is no longer open to the public.

The USVI are surrounded by beautiful oceans that seem remarkably clean and well managed (unlike much of the Caribbean). Even stepping off the ships at the various ports reveals teeming wildlife within the waters. As mentioned, the piers, walkways and docks have abundant sea life and the tourist operators seemed responsible and not the cowboys that we usually run into.

Without the safety concerns, I would recommend coming here for a week or two to explore the water life. The prices were not crazy (except for taxi’s) so a car hire and some accommodation in the ‘safe zone’ would make for a good trip. My sense was that most of the ‘issues’ with the locals took place after dark once the alcohol and drugs kicked in (paraphrasing the helpful ranger), and that daytime beach excursions would be fine.

Honduras

Honduras

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Country #96 Country & Territory # 133

Honduras is a country of about 9 million in Central America bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.

Honduras has a Mayan history dating back 3000 years, it became independent (from the Spanish) in 1821 and has since been a republic, although it has consistently endured much social strife and political instability and remains one of the poorest countries.

In the first recorded encounter between the Spanish and the Maya (in 1502), Christopher Columbus’ brother (Bartholomew) encountered a Mayan trading vessel from Yucatán, carrying well-dressed Maya and a rich cargo. Bartholomew’s men stole the cargo they wanted and kidnapped the ship’s elderly captain to serve as an interpreter. More devastating for the local people was exposure to infectious diseases (smallpox and measles) to which they had no immunity.

Safety

Honduras has a reputation for a reason. There is a history of crime in Honduras, in fact, Honduras has the second-highest murder rate in the world after El Salvador (another one of my favourite countries) and is often called the murder capital of the world.

The websites suggest that ‘Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, and kidnapping, remains common. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, narcotics, and human trafficking, is widespread. Local authorities may lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime incidents’.

In reality though, about 85% of the murders that do happen in Honduras, are related to drug and gang violence. They usually happen between rival groups and within the territories they control. The gangs only control small areas or neighbourhoods in larger cities. Small towns, rural areas and tourist destinations are pretty much gang-free. And tourists are not targeted at all.

Roatan Island

Our foray into Honduras was onto the island of Roatan (population 41 thousand) which lies about 65 kms off the mainland. The island is 77kms long and around 8km wide. Beautifully set up for the cruise industry, you get off into a manufactured shopping mall complete with all you could ever want (at exorbitant prices).

In fact, most people never venture beyond these confines. The area is crisp, clean, flat, beautifully paved and entirely safe. It has bars, shops, cafes and restaurants and is totally removed from the reality that lies just outside the gates.

But we are outside the gates sort of people. So off we went, turning right and heading towards the major town of Coxen Hole (population 5000). To say that this is a tiny shithole would be fair. The the town, infrastructure and amenities are basic at best and most likely reflect the reality of living in Honduras (rather than the manufactured version – inside the gate).

Our town journey took us along some pretty dodgy-looking streets and past the roosters and goats in the heart of the CBD. But as sketchy as it all was, at every point, we were greeted by huge smiles and friendly locals everywhere we went. Everyone was super friendly and if the local signs were any reflection, then they all had a great sense of humour to go with it.

That said, we still pulled up short of trying out the local delicacy of Iguana.

The island itself is stunning, with beautiful beaches, natural reefs, and the best that nature has to offer. But you really do leave here wondering how sustainable it is and for how much longer will it be available.

The first thing that you notice is that (apart from beach and snorkelling) the highlights are a 270-meter high point of the island, a questionably safe zip line and an ethically questionable sloth and monkey tours. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good sloth, but these are not sanctuaries, they are tourist photo opportunities.

I guess the key thing here is that on such a small island, there are no less than 4 sloth and monkey ‘sanctuaries‘ all of which are remarkably close to the tourist centres. In addition to the sloth photos, you can also have photo opportunities with White Face Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys, Parrots and Scarlet Macaws.

Other than the wildlife that had been ripped from nature the only other real things on offer is zip lining and ATV tours.

On Roatan you can find the Fantasy Island Beach Resort, which is a gorgeous 21-acre all-inclusive private island.

Set on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef it offers 3 private beaches and snorkeling on the world’s second largest barrier reef. Added to the beach fare are extensive grounds and tropical gardens, filled with iguanas, peacocks and Capuchin monkeys.

Our second foray onto Roatan happened two weeks later and involved catching up with friends (James and Juliette) from Canada. This is both amazing and ludicrous at the same time. We first met them on a cruise ship in Alaska back in July 2023 (for Claudia’s 50th birthday) and got on famously.

A combination of travel and social media identified that they would be on the ship that we were on in two weeks’ time. This ship would be doing the same itinerary at a time when we would be on a different cruise. A bit more examination and we worked out that we would both be in Roatan on the same day. So plans were made.

So, the two couples (from Canada and Australia) that met (in Alaska) through mutual friends (from Australia) randomly reconnected almost 2 years later in Central America Honduras). All very normal and natural in what has become our lives.

Having been in Roatan a fortnight earlier, and broadly unimpressed with what was on offer we opted for finding a cheap dive bar where we could have a couple of drinks and just catch up. So we met in the main port area and headed out beyond the safety of the gates.

Within 400 meters we had found the sketchiest of bars right on the water, serving beers for 50% of the price of the port.

So in we went, settled in on the deck overlooking the water.

Surrounded by toothless prostitutes in fascinating outfits.

The staff were super friendly and could not do enough to accommodate us. Sadly this ran out when it came to ordering food. So we undertook not to eat but to drink more. This was fine until it came to using the facilities. Juliette was not up to the filthy squatter that the prostitutes were using.

So back to the port, to a beautiful restaurant on the upper floor overlooking the dock (at double the beer price) with a clean and hygienic toilet, and palatable food options. Add to this some bucket-sized cocktails and everyone was happy.

We quite liked the tiny bit of Honduras that we saw but probably wouldn’t put it high on a place to return to. The natural beauty is fantastic, but the tourism practices are not good. The natural beauty will be destroyed in no time as operators prioritise the $dollar above the asset.

If the security stigmas could be overcome then Honduras could be a thriving place. Add some sustainable tourism practices and the place could be heaven on earth. But at present it is being chewed up at a great rate, only saved by low numbers due to security threat concerns.

America

Louisiana, New Orleans

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The first thing that you need to get your head around is the term NOLA.

It is everywhere (almost as prevalent as the weed) and I was a bit slow in picking it up. The first letters of “New Orleans” and the state abbreviation for Louisiana, LA, combine to derive the nickname ‘NOLA’ and it is used everywhere.

The next thing that you need to know is to forget any form of communication you may know. These people are totally unintelligible, even if they are speaking English. New Orleans language has been influenced by many other languages ( including Spanish, African, Creole, Cajun, and Caribbean) and a general laziness. The result is total jibberish said with a strong accent.

We were approached by beggars on the street (who we assumed were asking for money) who were so unintelligible that we just shook our heads and walked on. Not that we typically give to beggars, but I honestly couldn’t even guess what they were asking for. If you cannot make it clear to me what it is you are begging for, then your chances of getting anything are literally zero.

Louisiana was originally settled by French colonists who were later joined by French aristocrats fleeing slave revolts in the West Indies or the French Revolution. They were soon joined by the Spanish and Acadians (present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island), who came to be more commonly known as Cajuns.

The Arcadians started coming in 1764 when the British started kicking them out of Canada. By the early 1800s, nearly 4000 Acadians arrived and settled in Louisiana. Many lived in the bayou country where they hunted, fished, trapped, and lived off the land and Mississippi River. 

By the 1810s, the Acadians had evolved from a single group of poor subsistence farmers into three distinct groups.

  • First, there was a small group of wealthy, slave-owning cotton and sugar planters,
  • there was a small group of middle-class Acadians made up of farmers and artisans, including blacksmiths, carpenters, and bricklayers.
  • a very large number of Acadians continued to labour as subsistence farmers, mostly without slaves.

While the upper and middle-class Acadians adopted the customs of the region’s elite, the poor Acadians preserved the values and traditions of their ancestors. This mass of poor Acadians intermarried with other ethnic groups in South Louisiana eventually creating the Cajun people.

New Orleans – N’awlins – N’Orleens

New Orleans is a city of around 370,000 people on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. It is known as the birthplace of jazz and has been nicknamed the Big Easy. It’s known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant live-music scene and spicy cuisine.

Our journey saw us setting off on cruise ships in and out of the port of New Orleans on four separate occasions (over a month or so) so we kept popping in and out, experiencing different bits each time.

The first foray was to fly in and spend the first day doing the obvious trip into the French Quarter. We were staying up near the sports district and Caesar’s Superdome (the local footy stadium).

So a quick right turn for a few blocks and another right onto Canal Street for the first leg of the tourist journey as we were passed by the infamous streetcars. For a measly $3 each we could have ridden all day on the buses and streetcars, getting on and off as much as we wanted. Interestingly the HOHO bus takes you a pretty similar (but less inclusive) route as the streetcars but charge $46 rather than the $3. But having been cooped up in a plane, we were ready for the walk.

There are five streetcar routes servicing the main part of the city with three of them starting at the French Market and four of them transiting the Canal Street hub.

  • the Riverfront line – runs along the Mississippi River between the French Market and the Conventions centre and the Aquarium of the Americas;
  • the Canal (City Park/Museum) Line – connects the French Market with the city park and the museum of art
  • The Canal (Cemeteries) Line – services Canal Street from the riverfront to several historic cemeteries.
  • Rampart/St. Claude Line – that runs through the CBD and into the French Quarter (the modern day line that mirrors the one written about in the famous play).
  • St. Charles;

The Historic St. Charles Streetcar Line is the odd one out. It intersects with three of the other lines (in the CBD) but it is the longest and the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world. It runs vintage trolley cars (read not air conditioned or disabled friendly) and travels from the CBD through the Garden Districts (lower and upper – read past the old plantation homes), and makes stops at the Audubon Zoo, World War 2 Museum and Lafayette Cemetery.

This was the highlight of our time in New Orleans. We hopped on it near Canal Street in the heart of town and did the full run out to the end, got off and onto another and rode back to where we started. The architecture and pride in the homes along the way was astounding.

The transport mob even offers a free, GPS-enabled audio tour for most of the Streetcar network so that you get the spiel as you rattle along.  

A Streetcar Named Desire

Much of the fame of the New Orleans comes from its ties with the Tennessee Williams (1947) play A Streetcar Named Desire. When the play was published in streetcars ran all over the city.

The real Desire Streetcar ran through the French Quarter, passing along Bourbon Street.

In 1948, the year after the play’s publication, the Desire line was replaced with a bus.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street embodies the life of a party town. The street dates back to 1718 and is rich with historic venues and iconic buildings. The street is lit by neon lights, throbbing with music and decorated by beads and balconies. This place is almost single-handedly keeping live music alive. Everywhere you go there is a live band (day or night) all the way along the street.

The live music is awesome, but the area itself is pretty grotty with numerous homeless begging on the streets (imagine kings cross back in the 80’s). You will no doubt be accosted by one of them asking for money if they can guess where you got your shoes (you got them on your feet). And the whole place smells of stale beer, urine and weed.

While we were cruising in and out of New Orleans some mad bastard (ex military from Texas) decided to drive his rented pickup truck (with a black ISIS flag on the back) into a crowd of New Year’s revellers on Bourbon Street. When the truck stopped he then decided to get out and start shooting people until police finally shot and killed him. The result was 14 dead, dozens injured and a ramped-up security presence when we next came to town. The final washup showed that he had also placed two bombs along his trail that were not detonated.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras, (French for Fat Tuesday,) begins on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, and ends the day before Ash Wednesday, aka Shrove Tuesday. It essentially reflects the practice of gorging on rich and fatty foods ahead of Lent, the 40 day-long fasting period that follows in the days leading up to Easter.

Some places kick off the festivities as early as November but most celebrations occur in the two weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, which this year is 1 March. Mardi Gras is a high-energy holiday (dating back as early as 1703) incorporating the traditions, music, parades, partiers decked out in wigs and wild outfits, dancing, and general revelry.

Carnival dates back to the ancient days of pagan spring and fertility rites, much of its origin derives from Medieval Latin. New Orleans welcomes nearly 1.5 million visitors annually to take part in the Carnival festivities — ranging from elaborate parades with decked-out floats to glitzy costumes with dazzling headdresses, feathers, and an excess of glitter.

While many parades and parties take place during the celebration period, the Krewe du Vieux is the most anticipated as it’s one of the earliest parades of the Carnival calendar. It consists of more than 40 themed-parade processions, showcasing some of the top brass and traditional jazz bands in New Orleans.

Steam Boats

On 20 October, 1811, the steamboat New Orleans set off on a journey of more than 1,800 miles down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers arriving in New Orleans on 12 January 1812. The original steamboats were designed for cargo and within a decade, steamboats would link the nation’s interior like nothing had before.

In the heyday of steamboats (circa 1840) there were about 450 boats cruising the Mississippi. But they started to go out of fashion when trains proved to be more efficient. The only two steamboats left in New Orleans are operating as tourist rides.

Cajun Food

The one thing that stands out above all else down in Louisiana is the food. The ubiquitous burgers, hot dogs and tacos of America give way to a much more interesting (but still predominately brown) list of menu options. Cajun cuisine is a mix of French, Spanish, Native American, and West African influences that draw from locally available ingredients (crawfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage) and simple preparation.

Typical Cajun ingredients include:

  • Andouille—a spicy smoked pork sausage
  • Boudin—a pork blood sausage
  • Chaurice – a sausage similar to Spanish chorizo
  • Chaudin or ponce—a pig’s stomach, stuffed with spiced pork & smoked.
  • Ham hocks
  • Wild boar or feral hog
  • Head cheese (brawn) a meat jelly or terrine similar to a jellied meatloaf,
  • Gratons—hog cracklings or pork rinds similar to Spanish chicharrones.
  • New Orleans hot sausage—a spiced sausage reddish in colour.
  • Tasso—a highly seasoned, smoked pork shoulder

Étouffée pronounced Ay Too Fay – is a dish of shellfish, simmered in a sauce made from a light or blond roux served over rice. It is most commonly made with crab, shrimp or crawfish.

It is typically flavoured with Creole or Cajun seasonings.

Gumbo is a fantastic stew of strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish and vegetables usually served with rice.

We got it at a (not so) dodgy chain store (Daisy Dukes) with amazing service and it was incredible.

Jambalaya—The only certain thing that can be said about jambalaya is that it contains rice, some sort of meat (often chicken, ham, sausage, or a combination), seafood (such as shrimp or crawfish), plus other items that may be available.

The crawfish boil is a feast where crawfish, potatoes, onions and corn are boiled in large pots before being spilled out onto large, newspaper-draped tables and covered in Creole/Cajun spice blends.

Oysters Bienville is a traditional dish that is basically just a stuffed oyster. A stuffing is made by making a roux with sherry, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and adding fillings such as shrimp, mushrooms, capsicum.

Po’ boy—a sub sandwich on French bread. We did the shrimp po’boy (mine with the extra spicy sauce). Most versions involve fried seafood like shrimp, oysters, or catfish.

Muffuletta (pronounced Moo Fa’ lotta) is a huge, round, fat sandwich filled with salami-type meats, mozzarella cheese, pickles, and olive salad.

Praline—pronounced (Praw Lean) a sweet made with pecans, brown and white sugar, butter, and cream.

The New Orleans version claims to be special, but apart from being overpriced, we could find nothing amazing about these.

And certainly not worth the inflated prices.

And finally the Beignet—a square-shaped doughnut style choux pastry made with deep-fried dough and topped with powdered sugar.

Our attempt to get these took on a life of its own. The first attempt saw us at a cafe that had screaming children everywhere so we boycotted figuring we would be back in a week, we would get them then.

A week later (after our first cruise) we were back and aimed for Cafe Du Monde, the most famous and original location for the Beignet. This place is in the heart of the French Quarter and claim to have been serving them since 1862.

The line for this cafe was quite literally over 100 meters long. I do not line up for over an hour for a donut.

One more week on and we tried yet again. But a (possible) terrorist attack saw security spilling from every corner of the city making getting around and public places quite challenging. But we got them, what an anticlimax. They tasted like a deep fried dim sim (old oil I guess) covered in powdered sugar. It cost us $30 Aussie for three Beignets and two coffees (mostly due to a weak Aussie dollar).

The Bayou

A bayou is a slow-moving creek or a swampy section of a river or a lake. They are usually found in flat areas where water collects in pools. Bayous are often associated with the southeastern part of the United States.

The alligator is common in the swamps, bayous, rivers and marshes of Louisiana and other states along the southeastern coast of the United States. Wiki tells me that the term Bayou is most closely associated with Cajun and Creole cultural groups derived from French settlers along the Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, and picking back up in South Florida around the Everglades, with its centre in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Overview

Despite mass murders, madmen, unintelligible people, an abundance of homeless and weed we actually quite liked our time in New Orleans. The food was much better than in most of the US cities we have been to. And it had a bit of character about the place. I can’t see either of us rushing back specifically to be here, but it was nice enough to experience. The architecture and houses (old plantation homes) around the garden districts were stunning and the neighbourhoods had a safe comfortable feel about them.

America

South Carolina, Charleston

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South Carolina is one of the thirteen original colonies. In 1670 a permanent English settlement was established on the coast near present-day Charleston. During the 1700s, French and British settlers used a slave workforce to establish rice and indigo plantations, which over time extended to cotton and other agricultural crops. In these early days of slavery, Barbados served as a major port for England’s trans-Atlantic slave trade.

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, Charleston became a major hub of both the transatlantic and interstate slave trades. During the early eighteenth century, Charleston started to receive large numbers of enslaved people directly from Africa. Wikipedia tells me that ‘by 1710, African arrivals to Charles Town were typically fewer than 300 annually; by 1720, there were more than 1,000, and by 1770, over 3,000′.

On 1 January 1808, the United States passed the Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves, which ended the legal importation of enslaved Africans into the country. This ban ended the country’s participation in the International Slave Trade, leading to the creation of a domestic slave trading system. Charleston became one of the major enslaved collecting and selling centres. By the time of the American Revolution, South Carolina was one of the richest colonies in America.

South Carolina was one of the original 11 Confederate States (along with Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina) that opposed the creation of the United States, primarily over the issue of Slavery.

After the war it ratified the US Constitution on May 23, 1788, becoming the eighth state to enter the union. Slavery was eventually abolished 6 months later when the 13th Amendment was ratified. Today South Carolina is the 40th-largest and 23rd-most populous US state with a recorded population of a bit over 5 million.

Boone Hall Plantation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of America’s oldest plantations still in operation (dating back to 1681). The plantation is 738 acres that have been continually producing crops for over 320 years.

The main dwelling (a historic Colonial Revival-style joint) was built in 1936, with the most significant feature being the entrance (an allée of southern live oak trees), believed to have been planted in 1743.[

Our entrance into Charleston was short and sweet and probably not entirely indicative of what the place is normally like.

We were here just before Christmas so the place was icy cold and full of artisan Christmas markets. We wandered past surf shops (while freezing our butts off) the locals swore that it was usually warm.

The key to Charleston is its history – it is home to the first public college, museum, and playhouse in the United States. It was also a one-time centre of culture, the buildings are old and attractive, the streets are clean and safe and the place has a really nice feel about it. And the weed intake was about 2% of every other US city we have been in.

Charleston has hung its hat on historical significance, with horse and carriage rides around the streets still commonplace. This gets added to by a plethora of haunted history tours. I guess with such a history of slavery and atrocities, there are bound to be stories of the unexplained that happen.

The Angel Oak is one of Charleston’s top tourist attractions. Estimated to be between 500 and 1,500 years old it is one of the oldest living things. But by night it gets on the haunted bandwagon with reports of glowing lights and fiery apparitions of faces that can look part human, part goat or boar.

The place is pretty much flat so wandering about is simple and there are any number of historic walking tours on offer. We wandered inland from the port passing the various churches and Cathedrals along the way, through the historic streets until we found ourselves in the university district (characterised by the Frat and sorority houses – complete with Greek letters).

And all of this gets capped off with an accessible and attractive waterfront that is just a pleasant spot to walk around.

Charleston was a charming little town. I’m not sure that I would go out of my way to come here, but it did make for a really nice and pretty stop on our planned itinerary.

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Two Years Away

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Well, the 6th of December officially marks two full years since we left home and set off on this journey. There have of course been the obligatory pops home to tick the travel insurance requirements and an extended stay (3 weeks) to show off SE Qld to my cousin Jan (and his wife Suzanna) from Germany. But for the most part, we have been travelling the world constantly.

The aim of hitting 100 countries remains elusive, but we are still closing in on it, and it is almost in sight. Haiti will be the next country to add to our tally (in a few days).

So our first year saw us going to 56 countries and over 127 different cities and using 33 different currencies. We flew over 100,000 kilometres (on 44 flights with 19 airlines) or 2 and a half times around the planet’s circumference (not sure how far that is for flat earthers).

So what about in year two…

The first thing of note about our second year is that it had 367 days in it. The first reason for this was that it was a leap year, adding an extra day to our journey. The second anomaly was that we sailed eastward across the international date line, causing a groundhog situation where we relived the same day twice.

The next obvious thing is that there was a lot more cruising this time around. This was not originally intended but our year started going to Antarctica, which really can only be achieved by ship. The fact that we are becoming high-level (frequent fliers if you will) on a cruise line means that the inclusions and perks make them very cost-effective (we get free laundry and a few drinks). At the highest level, the perks are considerable. So the idea of ticking up as many cruising days as possible makes sense (especially considering that every now and then the casinos on board offer some free cruises).

To say that cruises can vary widely is an understatement. But if you are not extravagant and do not seek the newest of the ships and the flashiest of rooms and the elite destinations, it is possible to get a cruise for (slightly) under $100 per person per night. Which, when you consider the costs of transportation, accommodation, food and beverages and entertainment is often much cheaper than you could do it individually. Especially in places like the Caribbean where there are no effective inter-island ferries and plane travel can be prohibitive.

So what did we get up to…

Our second year started on the Ultimate World Cruise in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, climbing the peaks, hanging with Christ the Redeemer and taking in the famous beaches. Being New Year’s Eve the place was a blur of activities as people prepared for the upcoming evening festivities.

Due to the crime levels in Rio, the decision was made that we all watch the show from the ship, rather than the original plan of having us all on the ground on Copacabana Beach. In hindsight probably a pretty smart move. The New Year fireworks show was phenomenal and a good time was had by all.

From Brazil we kept heading south with a stop in Uruguay (Montevideo) and what would be one of many stops into Buenos Aires (Argentina). Now I absolutely fell in love with Argentina. For a country in so much financial turmoil, it really is one of the hidden gems of the planet. Once one of the richest nations in the world, financial mismanagement, political instability and a military junta have left it broke.

But all of the trappings of a once wealthy nation exist. The streets are wide, the buildings are both beautiful and imposing, the culinary scene is incredible and the people are friendly and welcoming. Leaving the Argentinian capital we got to sample the beach life in Puerto Madryn, Tierra del Fuego, and a special treat was to hang out in Ushuaia, the most southerly city on the planet.

But in between Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia we went even further south and into Antarctica and spent the better part of a week bobbing about on the ocean. This had us staring at whales (of so many different varieties) seals and penguins while watching amazing Antarctic landscapes fade in and out of view. Looking out the window and seeing walls of rock and ice cannot be adequately described.

We managed to take in the crossing of Drakes Passage and down into the Gerlache Strait, to the South Shetland islands, past King George Island and a bunch of Antarctic exploration stations.

Into Dalhan Bay then further down into Paradise Bay and a check out of Elephant Island on the way out.

To say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure is absolutely true.

While we would both love to do it again, the likelihood is very low. But both of us feel privileged to have had the opportunity.

A true bucket list item.

While bouncing around at the bottom of the world saw some serious stuff and made attempts to see some of the other stuff around us, but extreme weather foiled even the best of plans. This saw us missing out on the Falkland Islands (even though we got close enough to stare at them) and Punta Arenas. Our way out of Ushuaia saw us having another couple of days cruising the Straits of Magellan past the Chilean Fjords, more walls of snow, rock and ice.

We hopped off the ship at Valparaiso in Chile and got to experience our first real earthquake (5.0 magnitude). Scooting away from the earthquake we headed back to Santiago (where we had come for my 50th) and made plans to head back into Brazil and Argentina to see the Iguazu Falls. If Antarctica was a true bucket lister, then this absolutely fits the same category.

We hit both sides (Argentina and Brazil) of the falls, riding boats, getting soaked by the waters and generally just enjoying the experience. From here it was back to Buenos Aires for our first international riot (in front of our accommodation) before heading off to Paraguay (Asuncion) and then Bolivia (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Samaipata).

Costa Rica was next with some time spent at a sloth sanctuary, a banana plantation and more importantly bobbing along the inland canals (local water highways) checking out the wildlife.

After Costa Rica it was off to the murder capital of Panama, where we (kinda) got to see the canal and saw actual vultures acting as bin chickens.

Leaving South America we popped into the US for a snappy Caribbean Cruise or two before heading towards home. But as it is us, heading home from Miami cannot be simple, so we headed from Miami to Paris (an obvious choice).

Here we got to reacquaint ourselves with a city we had been to several times already. But the experience was fun while we hit the usual tourist haunts.

Portugal was next with a few days exploring the capital of Lisbon. This one was a favourite (with the exception of the mountain that we were perched atop). While only a teaser in Portugal, it delivered enough to put it on the go back to list.

From Portugal we hopped a flight into our least explored part of the planet, Africa. We had dipped our toe into Egypt back in the 2000’s but that is as far as we got. Our insertion point was into Marakesh in Morocco and after a few days bouncing around the Grand Bazaar and Souks we made our way to Casablanca and Essaouira.

Then off to Tunisia to take in the capital (Tunis) and off to the ancient ruins of Carthage. As nice as the sights were in both Tunisia and Morocco, it was the food that made the two of them stand out as the main reasons to go.

And the next was the most surprising of all, Malta. This place absolutely blew us away, how could we have come to Europe so many times before and never made it here. My suggestion is to get yourself here the first chance that you get, it is amazing.

From Malta we popped across to Turkey (a place that I had expected to love) to explore the capital, Istanbul. As nice as the sights were, and as impressive as the history of this city is, the place was spoilt by the rudeness of the people. I am certain that this will only apply to the main tourist areas around the capital, but it was not a welcoming place.

Sure the Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque are all very impressive and worth the effort to come and see. But the attitudes of the touts seriously turn you off coming back. We will return at some point and explore some of the areas outside the capital, hoping to get a more authentic experience.

From Turkey it was a quick dash to Asia (Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam) to catch up with mates, before heading into Australia for a snappy 48 hour turnaround before hopping on the next boat out again.

And that was it. New Year’s eve watching in the new year from Copacabana Beach in Rio De Janeiro and by the 12th of April we were in Australia having touched down on every continent. It was not something that we planned or aspired to do, just the way that the cards fell.

Our 48 hour stop off in Sydney saw us hanging with the bunnies (Jeremy and Claudia), feasting on seafood and dashing for our next cruise ship out of Australia. We hopped on in Sydney and aimed directly for New Zealand where we took in the Bay of Plenty and the Bay of Islands. Then it was off cruising in earnest as we headed towards French Polynesia. Our foray into French Polynesia was to take us into the Society Islands, particularly Raiatea, Tahiti and Moʻorea but missing out on Bora Bora and Huahine.

The first cruise stopped in Hawaii, but we stayed on and sailed through to Vancouver, where we stayed on again to Alaska, and then again once more to Alaska.

From here, the bride was missing her son, so a plan was hatched to go and see him (living in Bali at the time). The way transport hubs work, the easiest (and most cost-effective) way to get to Bali from Vancouver was to fly to Japan and then transit through the Philippines. So 19 hours of transiting (on my birthday) and we landed in Manila. Thankfully, we were welcomed by Brad and Nora, and we spent the next week or so hanging with them.

Having played in the Philippine Islands with them the year before, we had missed out on a bucket list item (for me at least), swimming with the Whale Sharks. So after a few days in Metro Manila (Brad working), the weekend came and we were off, to the island of Cebu, to swim with the Whale Sharks (Butanding). As it turned out we also swam with turtles and a massive school of sardines.

From here it was back to Manila and off to Indonesia, but about 6 weeks later Brad was to have a milestone birthday, so we would be back for another round.

But in the meantime, we had 6 weeks to kill and Indonesia and the boy were just a short plane ride south. The boy (and his bride) had set up camp in the Balinese suburb of Jimbaran. Out of the main tourist areas but close to everything. They had rented an entire villa (with a swimming pool) which would be our base for the next 6 weeks. Having been there for 4 days, he had to take off so we did too. We dumped our big bags, packed our swimming gear and went island hopping.

This became a pattern over the next 6 weeks, where we would hang with them for a few days and then took off exploring. This way they got to live their lives without us (too much) underfoot, and we got to explore the Indonesian islands.

The main show for me was our first trip (a bucket list item) to Komodo Island to see the dragons.

But getting there was not as simple as just heading there, we had to transit through many of the 17,500 islands in Indonesia. So our time in Indonesia saw us visiting: Bali, Flores, Padar, Komodo, Taka Makasar, Kanawa, Penida, Gili (Air, Meno and Trawangan), Lombok. Bima, Sumbawa, West Papua and  Belitung.

Raja Ampat deserves a special mention, situated in Eastern Indonesia and West Papua. The second most pristine reefs on the planet (behind the Great Barrier Reef) Raja Ampat is truly spectacular.

From here (via Bali) we were off again to the main island of Indonesia (Java) where we headed to the city of Yogyakarta to visit Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple or shrine in the world.

While here we also chose to visit Prambanan Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.

With 17,500 islands in Indonesia, we visited more than most but nowhere near enough. What did become apparent was that once you get outside of the main tourist corridors, there is very little English spoken, and very low levels of facilities, restaurants and amenities. We tried going off the beaten path and very quickly found ourselves struggling.

July came and it was back to the Philippines for Brad’s milestone birthday. This saw the confluence of many old and close friends all coming together for a common purpose. While not everyone knew everyone, we were all suitably connected by common people, bonds, and interests. So for about a week, we flowed in and out of social occasions, meals and events, all culminating in the birthday bash. Bobbing about on Subic Bay on a privately hired boat was a great night.

From the Philippines we popped north to Japan. While we transited here seven weeks earlier, we never got out of the airport (not counting as having visited). So this time we came back and took in the place a little more reasonably. I had wanted to come for a long while but the cost was prohibitive. But recent currency movements saw us getting more than double the Yen in exchange rate. This took our trip from exorbitant to very reasonable, and the food was magnificent.

From Japan it was off to Mongolia, not (originally) high on my list but a key place for Jill. She was right, it turned out to be fantastic.

In a world hiding and running away from their imperial pasts, Mongolia is the exception.

The pride in the former Mongolian Empire is palpable, the statues of Ghengis (Chinggis) Khan abound and remain firmly at the heart of the Mongolian identity.

Our time in Mongolia was astounding with some of the most amazing landscapes, sculptures and wildlife that we have come across thus far. The open plains of the Steppe are something that can only be appreciated by visiting it. Mongolia was truly surprising and highly entertaining.

From here it was back into Europe. The original plan was to head into ‘the Stans’ but the political instability and war in the Middle East made this highly dangerous and not worth the effort. So instead we flew into Prague and caught the train into Poland.

The first port of call in Poland and Jill’s focus on coming was to visit Auschwitz. To say that visiting here was confronting is massively understating the power that this place holds. It is the site of the single largest mass murder event and has become a symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. Having explored Auschwitz, we hopped the local train to take us through to Krakow where we went through a major hotel debacle before heading out via Warsaw. 

Leaving Poland we entered into the Balkan region making stops in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. We really enjoyed our time in all three of the Baltic nations. The food was good, and with one exception so have the beverages. By the time summer rolls around you are pulling low to mid 20’s with long days, so there is plenty of time to explore. Our August foray into the three Baltic nations was pretty much spot on. The volume of tourists coming here is way less than you will get elsewhere, so even at peak times, the place is really manageable.

From Estonia we hopped an overnight ferry northward into Scandinavia. Here we managed a whirlwind tour of the Scandinavian nations, taking in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. With the exception of Sweden, the majority of these were incredibly expensive, and having limited time was a blessing. The places themselves were all very nice, if a little sterile. They were clean, safe and had interesting architecture. But the proud Viking history had long since gone and the places were largely indistinguishable from any other modern city.

Sweden was the exception to this. Maybe not so much in the big city, but the countryside was fantastic. To be fair, this may also have been the case in the other countries but we did not have the time (nor the finances) to get out into them. The Swedish landscapes, towns and villages are stunning.

Getting out of Scandinavia we went back into The Netherlands to catch up with Michel and Sonja (dating back to the Philippines and Alkmaar). Sadly Michel was stuck working in the USA but Sonja opened her home to us and we got to hang with her for a few days. Alkmaar and its surrounds gave us an insight into life in a small village. Sonja was born, grew up and has lived her life within a 5km radius, and (much of) the rest of her family is within the same area. They have all travelled widely and experienced other things, but have chosen to stay rooted to a particular spot. And what a lovely spot it is.

It was a shame that we missed Michel, but Sonja was an amazing host and we had a really good time and are so grateful for the hospitality offered.

Leaving The Netherlands we hopped onto the last leg of the world cruise. We started our year on this 274 day journey and had the opportunity to catch up with friends to finish off the journey. We had skipped the Pacific, Asian, African and most of the European legs but would be on the cruise back into Miami. This would see us going back to Iceland, then a couple of stops into Greenland (Nuuk and Qaqortoq).

 From here it was back into Canada, touching base in some of the provinces that we had yet to explore (Newfoundland and Nova Scotia). Beautiful scenery, interesting architecture, and a thriving bar culture made this leg highly entertaining. From here we headed back into the USA, with our first port of call being New York City.

We had a couple of days here and took the HOHO bus taking in all the must-see sights of the city. It is nice to have ticked the ‘been there/done that’ box, but that is about it. Neither of us would rave about the place, or even for that matter recommend it.

The cruise continued to Bermuda, the Bahamas and then finished up back in Miami.

We then hopped a train up to Orlando where we got to see our first space launch.

Not originally even on the bucket list, this proved to be startlingly good, so much better than I ever imagined.

I want to see more.

After this it was back to Australia for a 3 week raid. The main purpose was that my cousin Jan (who looked after us brilliantly in Germany) and his wife Susanna wanted to come to Australia to meet the wider family for the first time. So we flew in the day before them and found that the family unit had kicked into full gear. Mother, sisters, niece and nephews and the grand nephews all floated in and out of family functions and outings maximising their time with the German contingent of the family.

My sisters got together (as they usually do) and put on a series of family spreads that would feed a large army (as they usually do). My role for the fortnight was as chief chauffeur, but I did chip in to cook the BBQ at Lynn’s new house (about 1% of the work and effort put in by all of the others). But most importantly, the German cousins got to meet everyone on the first day that they got here (after a sleep).

A huge family BBQ, some local beers, a multi-generational swim in the pool (with games) and just generally a great day. From here the plan for the rest of the week was discussed and people worked in activities around their interests and work schedules.

Day two was all about the city, with us using the Brisbane 50 cent public transport initiative to ride the Citycat up and down the river taking in a stunning city (from the water).

Jan, Susanna and I were joined by my nephew Nick and we rode from one end of town to the other (and back) with stops at the city, Southbank and even the new casino. Day three saw (almost) the whole family kick into full swing for a trip to Australia Zoo. A convoy of vehicles made the schlepp north for a great day out, ticking the kangaroo and koala must do’s for the European visitors. While we got rare photos of Jess, Nick and Ringo, my sister Karin somehow managed to dodge every camera all day though. Photos of Nees and the kids (Dylan, Will and Jackson) are more common, and Fleebs and Sean were stuck earning money.

Family functions, day trips, BBQs, seafood feasts, card sessions all intermingled with the usual tourist activities, showing off the highlights (zoos, beaches, mountains etc) of South-East Queensland.

The generosity of all (particularly in the time that everyone made available) was the highlight of the trip. Everyone got on famously and Jan and Susanna left with a great feeling about their broader family, and life in Australia.

As probably happens to everyone when they visit their mothers, she dredged up an old work ID of mine from way back in the day.

So anyway, this is Richard of 30+ years ago.

Leaving Australia it was back to Europe (Spain to be precise) for a snappy transit through to Andorra. A tiny nation on the border of France and Spain it was one of the few European nations that we had not been to and it gave us the opportunity to tick up country number 94 for me. Perched high in the mountains, Andorra was too steep and cold for my tastes, but it was a tax haven, so if shopping is your thing then this is where you wanna be.

From Andorra it was back to Barcelona for some magnificent food and drink (I really do love the Spanish lifestyle) before hopping on a cruise ship for out ill-feted Trans-Atlantic Crossing (an earlier post).

A couple of tiny cruises into Mexico capped off our second year. So to sum up the second year we were in 53 countries (31 of which were new to us) 118 cities, all 7 continents and ticked some absolute bucket list boxes. The next few months will be spent exploring some US cities (that we haven’t been to) and experiencing some cruising.

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Our ill-fated Trans-Atlantic voyage

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Having left Andorra, we hopped aboard the Royal Caribbean Ship the Explorer of the Seas for a Trans-Atlantic voyage from Barcelona (Spain) to Miami (USA) via Valencia, Malaga and the Azores (a Portuguese territory). Before we even really got going, we had a huge win. At the welcome party Jill and I were looking around to see if there were any staff or people that we recognised (having cruised a bit now it is not uncommon to run into people that you have met).

While scanning the crowd, I spotted someone I knew. Almost a year earlier we had shared a dinner table with a Swedish couple (Patrick and Anna) and had gotten on famously, choosing to spend our days together lazing on the beach in Aruba and kicking back in beach bars.

And sure enough, there was Patrick. After an excited greeting, he disappeared and returned with Anna within minutes. We had exchanged details the year before and I had attempted to reach out when we headed to Sweden, but technology failed us and the communications never landed. This was fixed this cruise and you can expect to see them featuring again in future episodes.

We had actually done this cruise the year before on the same ship, with no incident. The 2023 version took in stops in Cartagena while the 2024 version would stop at Valencia, Malaga and the Azores. Having not been to the Azores (a Portuguese territory consisting of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,400 km west of Lisbon) we figured, well why not.

In the leadup to departure, the news had been consistently reporting on major flooding in and around Valencia. So when the call came that Valencia would be pulled from the itinerary it came as no surprise to anyone.

Cartagena

The alternative was that we stopped at Cartagena in Spain instead. We had been here the year before and found it to be a lovely town with great and cheap coffee, amazing churros and enough old buildings and Roman ruins to amuse yourself for a day.

We found the coffee and churros shop again and kicked back with Patrick and Anna in some bars, sampling the sangria, beer, tapas and just the generally laid-back Spanish lifestyle.

Malaga

Malaga was next and the weather gods smiled upon us (eventually). The birthplace of Pablo Picasso (obviously there is a Picasso Museum here), but the first obvious tourist attraction is the Calle Marqués de Larios, or Calle Larios. This is a massive pedestrian and shopping street that was conceived back in 1880 and has been the main thoroughfare and shopping district since then.

At the end of the shopping area, you run into the Cathedral of Málaga or Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación. A massive church started in the 16th century and evetually finished in the 18th.

In addition there is a Roman Theatre, the French Pompidou Centre (art gallery), Collection of the Russian Museum, the Alcazaba Fortress and an
Art District (Soho Málaga).

Next stop was (meant to be) the Azores. But the weather conditions made the Azores a little treacherous and the decision was made to divert to the Canary Islands instead.

Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands. Any list of things to do in Tenerife and the Canary Islands more broadly will pop up with a long list of beaches. Our foray into Tenerife (officially Santa Cruz de Tenerife was brief and hampered early by some pretty ordinary weather. But the weather cleared and a lovely afternoon was able to be had exploring the town.

Given the weather, we started a bit late and found ourselves dashing about a bit. But while we didn’t get to see all the sights, we certainly got a really nice and comfortable feeling about the place. It was laid back, relaxed, and reasonably priced. There was the usual tourist fare on offer but not at silly or obscene prices.

So why was it an ill-fated journey?

The Issue

On the evening of 7 November 2024, the ship was hit with a sudden and powerful squall that caused the ship to tilt violently. The captain steered into the wind and righted the ship within a matter of minutes.

The full facts emerged over the coming days and revealed that the ship was hit with an unexpected squall (105km/h gust from the side) causing the ship to briefly (but dramatically) tilt to one side.

Subsequent reports from the Captain revealed that the ship had tilted 40.5 degrees before being righted.

The entire incident was over within 5 minutes.

The below video featured in many of the media articles. The guy in white holding the chair up was Patrick and Anna (seated) and on the right-hand side ( a few times towards the end) I can be seen in a blue shirt with galahs on it.

A lady had slid across the floor landing at my feet, having bashed her head. I gave her my seat as she was in shock and Jill kicked into nurse mode getting ice from our favourite waiter (Singh) and calming a clearly shaken woman down. I then tended (in a non-medical manner) to others around, some of which were shaken.

The effect

The effects of the gust and violent tilting were that:

  • Tables and chairs (sometimes including the people in them) slid across the ship
  • Drinks fell off flat surfaces (my beer landing in my lap)
  • Alcohol (and glassware) on bars hit the floor
  • loose items like plates and cutlery in the dining venues went flying
  • Food and plates on tables hit the floor
  • Shop merchandise hit the floor
  • pokie machines in the casino fell over
  • the piano on stage (supporting a Celine Dion tribute act) slid off the stage and
  • One person was injured

Bottles of alcohol had shattered across the floor, mixing with spilled drinks and broken glass. While the stores weren’t completely destroyed, everything from T-shirts to postcards, magnets, and jewelry was scattered across the floors. Witnesses’ videos show furniture sliding across the deck, a man holding onto a counter, a sign hitting a man, glass breaking, and people screaming and running.

Afterwards, we were all ordered to our cabins so that a 100% headcount could take place to ensure that everyone was on board. We were thrown about pretty violently on level 5 indoors, the effect of anyone on higher decks or the smokers outside had the potential to be catastrophic.

While sitting in the cabin, several announcements were made seeking individual guests, sparking concerns of people slipping overboard. The next was for a 100% staff count. In the meantime, there was the odd medical announcement being made for injured or stressed out passengers.

Due to an injury the ship made a U-Turn and headed back to Las Palmas, Spain to complete a medical disembarkation. This caused a three day delay in arriving in Miami. Importantly it was a nightmare of logistics as people would now be 3 days late missing flights, other cruises, work commitments etc.

Media Reporting

The media reporting of the incident was absolutely rubbish. As two people who lived through the experience, the things that were reported as fact online and in the mainstream media was nothing but lies and speculation. This started the very next day as media outlets and online reporters were reporting us being hit with a massive wave.

We watched with interest and a level of incredulity at what was being reported as the majority of it was total and utter rubbish. People were literally making crap up and reporting it as ‘facts’.

This then evolved, over time, with some of our fellow cruisers making up stories in their own little heads about what had actually transpired. The day we got off the ship, it had evolved to the point where passengers were claiming that the Celine Dion tribute act was singing the Titanic theme song at the time of the incident (total Bullshit).

The desperation for notoriety, fame or even attention has fuelled a constant barrage of bullshit being jammed down our throats constantly. Media reports are published with zero fact checking, and are then republished. Then, over time the stories grew, anything for other people to grab their 15 minutes of fame. Jill and I played the ‘guess what crap they’re saying today’ game as this story continued to unfold.

Las Palmas – Gran Canaria

The cruise ship diverted to Las Palmas (a Spanish territory) so that one injured passenger could get medical treatment. 

We had been here the year before and did not really like it. We found groups of underemployed African youths wandering menacingly around the streets creating an uncomfortable environment.

Our opinion, a year on, was much more positive. The underemployment issue seemed to be resolved (or at least moved elsewhere) and the wander through the streets was highly enjoyable and not in the least bit threatening.

And being with Patrick and Anna we wandered along the beach, found some establishments willing to quench a thirst, and all of a sudden all was right with the world.

Unlimited Dining Package

As a side note to the cruise, each cruise ship has the normal dining options (a main dining room, a buffet, and some snack options) in addition there are usually some specialty restaurants that offer a different experience (at an additional cost). This cost can vary dramatically, from cruise to cruise, depending on the popularity and deals on offer.

The restaurants can be booked as one-off ala-carte style eating, as a package (set menu) or as an unlimited package. Jill found the unlimited package on special for this particular cruise and for the first time ever we indulged. The unlimited package meant that every dinner (15 nights) could be at one of these. In addition, every day when we were at sea the lunches were also included (another 11 meals).

The restaurants on board (for our trip) were:

  • Chops Grille – a high end steakhouse
  • Giovanni’s Table – a high end Italian joint
  • Izumi – a high end Japanese joint
  • Johnny Rockets – a franchised burger joint

We had eaten at each of these restaurants before (with the exception of Johnny Rockets) but usually as a one-off so we always tended to gravitate to the things that we like. By way of example, my choice at the steakhouse always tended to be:

  • GRILLED BLACK PEPPER BACON – Slow-cooked Berkshire pork, with a sweet and spicy glaze
  • WILD MUSHROOM SOUP – with white truffle oil, chives
  • PRIME BONE-IN RIBEYE – USDA Prime 16 oz. bone-in cut, well marbled for peak flavor, deliciously juicy

A choice of sauces for my steak that includes:

Chops steak sauce, Béarnaise, au Poivre (Peppercorn) or Bordelaise (red wine), mustard, and just plain gravy.

  • A choice of sides that include

Gruyere cheese tater tots, Creamed Spinach, Grilled Jumbo Asparagus, Mac & Cheese, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms, Truffled French Fries and Salted Baked Potato.

The unlimited package meant that we could try everything on the menu and be better informed for future cruises. This meant that my choices (at Chops at least) went from GRILLED BLACK PEPPER BACON to:

  • COLOSSAL SHRIMP COCKTAIL – Horseradish cocktail sauce, lemon
  • TUNA TARTARE* – Avocado, ginger, wasabi caviar
  • JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE – Chipotle aïoli
  • CHARRED BEEF CARPACCIO* – Rare charred beef, Parmesan cheese,
    arugula, truffle-mustard dressing
  • and of course my GRILLED BLACK PEPPER BACON

My Mushroom soup was added to by:

  • LOBSTER BISQUE – Brandy, tarragon cream,
  • CAESAR SALAD – Romaine, shaved Parmesan, tossed in Caesar dressing, fresh baked crôutons
  • CRISPY GOAT CHEESE SALAD – Green apples, candied walnuts, cranberries, balsamic dressing
  • THE WEDGE – Iceberg lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, smoked bacon

And my 16 oz Prime rib on the bone had to now compete with:

  • FILET* – 9 ounces of our most tender cut of lean, midwestern beef
  • PETITE FILET* – A smaller 6-ounce cut, but equally tender and delicious
  • PRIME NY STRIP* – A 12-oz. full-flavored USDA Prime cut, with a slightly firmer texture than a ribeye
  • RACK OF LAMB* – Tender oven-roasted rack of lamb, seasoned with thyme and rosemary
  • ORGANIC ROASTED CHICKEN – Half chicken slowly roasted, perfectly seasoned with thyme, served with au jus
  • And some seafood options that include:
  • GRILLED BRANZINO – Sautéed spinach, olive oil, lemon, sea salt
  • SPICY JUMBO SHRIMP – Red pepper flakes, creamy garlic butter
  • GRILLED ATLANTIC SALMON* – Whole grain mustard sauce
  • BROILED 1 ½ LB. MAINE LOBSTER – with drawn butter and fresh lemon

And these sorts of choices were replicated across the 3 restaurants.

The sheer volume of food meant that we ate the majority of our meals at Izumi Japanese. Their meals were the lightest and (arguably) the healthiest of them all. Starting off with some edamame beans and miso soup is much lighter than the charcuterie board and breads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar at Giovanni’s. Don’t get me wrong, the charcuterie board was good, but maybe not every day.

The sushi and sashimi were also considerably lighter than steaks and pastas. Jill virtually inhaled raw fish and steak the whole time that we were on the ship. We have had the Izumi’s on several ships now and they are quite hit and miss. Not in a food sense, but certainly in an ambience sense. This one was high-end and lovely, but others that we have been to have left you feeling more like you were in a noisy cafeteria.

Oh, and Johnny Rockets even got tried out as we had the full list of places available. Believe it or not, the Johnny Rockets grilled cheese sandwich became a favourite, their milkshakes are absolutely amazing and the sundaes are pretty good too.

The pick of all of the meals though was probably the Osso Bucco from Giovannis. Slow-cooked Osso Bucco in a rich gravy that came with a spoon in the middle of the bone so that you could feast on the marrow.

This was closely followed by the lamb rack on offer from Chops Grille. And of course the Japanese was where we spent most of our time.

After all of this food there were elaborate dessert menus on offer to cap off the meals. The Italian (obviously) had a tiramisu and cannoli, while the Japanese had mochis, red bean sesame balls and the steakhouse had key lime pie, red velvet cake and chocolate self-saucing pudding.

To say that this experience was amazing is an understatement, but it was also too much. We ended up skipping every breakfast on the entire 15 day cruise (settling for just coffee) and swapped out many of the lunches for more simple options (with Patrick and Anna) in the main dining room.

In addition to this we got in the habit of playing pickleball (a mini tennis type game) every day and followed it up with some mini golf.


I’m not sure that the exercise offset the food on offer, but we had to do something other than just eat. So the daily (weather permitting) exercise was our attempt. For those who caught up with Jill when we were in Brisbane, will remember the terrible pneumonia cough that she had, needless to say this made playing a tennis derivative a little on the interesting side.

Andorra

Andorra

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Andorra is a tiny nation set high in the Pyrenees mountains on the border of Spain and France.

Andorra is the world’s 16th-smallest country by land and 11th-smallest by population.

Most importantly, coming to Andorra ticked up Country #94 for me and Country and Territory # 131. Jill still sits two behind me on the tally.

The whole place is under 500 sq/km and there are less than 80,000 Andorrans, but it sits at an average elevation of about 2km, a little under Australia’s highest point (Mount Kosciuszko).

Interestingly, 10% of the country has been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. But the real claim to fame of Andorra is that it is a tax haven. There is no sales tax, no inheritance, estate or transfer tax and no tax is paid on Andorran investment income. There is a 10% tax on income (both private and corporate) and a 4.5% VAT. But that is it.

It has signed onto various money laundering, transparency and international cooperation treaties etc taking away the official haven status. But it has remained a shopper’s paradise. The shops are open 361 days a year, they open earlier and close later than almost everywhere else in Europe, and the tax rate is much lower.

Alcohol, tobacco, electronics, perfumes, cosmetics, and designer clothes are often significantly cheaper than elsewhere.

What this means in real terms is that the place is one giant shopping mall (in fact over a thousand of them). The borders are lined with massive duty-free stores by the dozen (imagine row after row of Bunnings or Costco stores) all hunting the tourist trade.

Andorra la Vella

Andorra la Vella is the capital city and sits on the Valira River near the confluence of the Valira del Norte and Valira de Oriente rivers. The country is a marvel of engineering as it is virtually all perched on either side of a mountain with a fast-running river splitting the place in two. The roads and highways hug the river bends, cross regular bridges and bore through long tunnels under the mountains.

Our accommodation was in the heart of town in the shopping mile on Meritxell Avenue. But having had a monster transit (Brisbane to Doha 14hrs, two hour layover, Doha to Barcelona 7hrs, two hour layover, 5 hr bus ride to Andorra) we arrived and crashed.

But we awoke to one of the most amazing breakfasts that we had ever encountered. It started with the view as we looked out on the mountains with the villages precariously perched on the sides. Then the buffet came, it was magnificent, the usual continental fare, cereals, some hot mixes, great coffee and the crowning glory was the fresh honeycomb delivering your honey.

Having had our fill we headed towards old town (neither of us really being big shoppers). The first thing we came across was the 16th- century fortified house known as Casa de la Vall (house of the valley) that currently serves as the Consell General (Andorran parliament) and has done so since 1702.

The next thing to pop up was the Church of San Esteban (Saint Stephen), a church that preserves the atrium and circular bell tower from the 11th century. Originally Romanesque, it has been modified and expanded several times.

To say that the old town is small is an understatement, but that which was there, was nice. As the town was set high in the valley, there was a walkway that ran along the top overlooking the whole place. We stupidly decided to do the walk. For those of you reading along from Brisbane, you will know that Jill had a debilitating cough and mine was better than hers but not great.

With that in mind, we climbed the side of the mountain, going up numerous stairs to reach this walkway. The views once up there were great, but we nearly killed ourselves getting up there. Jill’s pneumonia had her wheezing terribly and my general distaste for stairs was enough to leave me unimpressed.

Having negotiated the steep descent we were back in the heart of the shopping district, with no interest in shopping. So we took some happy snaps (not of shopping malls) and wandered the streets and decided that Jill being able to breathe was important, so retired to our room to recover.

On our way out (after yet another magnificent breakfast) we ended up down by the river where we could take in the Margineda Bridge. A Romanesque bridge that crosses the Valira River in the old village. This is the largest medieval bridge preserved in Andorra.

Andorra was lovely, even though it was basically just one big duty-free shop. The scenery was nice, the engineering was impressive and if it wasn’t for the need to hike up and down the side of a mountain everywhere you go I may have liked it a bit more.

Atlantic Islands

Bermuda

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Bermuda is another of those self-governing British overseas territories. This one lies in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is an archipelago of 7 main islands and about 170 islets and rocks.

Bermuda was first discovered by Juan de Bermúdez in the early 16th century but was not settled until the following century when in 1609, a shipwreck of the vessel Sea Venture stranded Bermuda’s first settlers. In 1612 sixty more English settlers were sent to colonise the island. Slavery continued in Bermuda until it was outlawed across the British Empire in 1833. 

Like most people, the Bermuda Triangle and beaches were about all I knew about the area before getting here. Let’s start with size, it is very small (30km long and 3 km wide at its widest) and the whole place only has about 65,000 people.

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a geographic region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where many planes and ships are believed to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

While the Bermuda Triangle is not an officially recognized area, it is possible to display the Bermuda Triangle on a map since its boundaries are generally considered to be between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico (each location being one of the three points of the triangle).

Despite the claims of ships and planes mysteriously going missing within this triangular region, the scientific evidence suggests that the Triangle is no more dangerous than any other part of the ocean.

The idea of the Bermuda Triangle arose in the mid-20th century after some media reporting that detailed the loss of several planes and ships since World War II. Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural concepts to explain the events. Some hypothesise that a parallel universe exists in the Bermuda Triangle region, causing a time/space warp that sucks the objects around it into a parallel universe. Others attribute the events to UFOs. One explanation pins the blame on leftover technology from the mythical lost continent of Atlantis.

Made up of a string of islands in the Sargasso Sea, Bermuda is famous for its picturesque beaches and the reefs that ring the islands, making it one of the world’s top diving destinations. It is famous for pink sand beaches (that get their colour from pulverized coral and shells).

Our first foray into Bermuda was a bit of a fizzer as it was a short day (about 5 hrs available). We were booked to do a snorkelling tour of two shipwrecks (the Constellation and the Montana).

The day we arrived was at the tail of a hurricane, meaning that windspeeds and wave heights were too strong for us to snorkel safely in the open water, so the trip got cancelled. As it was the middle of the time available we had kind of, cut ourselves out of time to poke about the town.

They offered either our money back or a glass bottom boat booze cruise with all the rum punch you can drink. The booze cruise did not appeal so we had a cursory glance around the port area, and that was about all we got to see or do. Thankfully we were due to return 10 days later.

Both times we arrived at the Royal Naval Dockyard, a former British Royal Navy base turned into a cruise ship terminal and tourist hotspot. The Navy established the Dockyard after their defeat in the American war of independence which left Britain without a secure mid-Atlantic anchorage.

Our second foray was again at the tail of a weather event meaning that the snorkelling trip would still not be on. The obvious thing to do was to hop on the ferry and head over to the main town of Hamilton. But in the leadup, we had a conversation with a regular visitor to the island who told us of the all-day (24-hour) ferry ticket.

As we were in port for about 40 hours this time around, we had more time and could explore more broadly. When we had an overnight in Cartagena, Colombia we got off and stayed on shore amongst the locals and had a great time. So we looked into the same thing here in Bermuda. A single night’s accommodation in Bermuda ran to about $1000 AUD. So we did not do that.

Instead, we were up early and on the first ferry away from the port and up to the town of St Georges. The entry to the port was past some historic forts and through a couple of narrow groins (that took us two attempts to line up right). And it was a good thing that we were up and out as the wind whipped up and the St Georges port was closed shortly after our arrival.

St Georges (and its fortifications) was Bermuda’s first capital, founded in 1612, and is the oldest continually inhabited English settlement in the New World. The town overflows with cobblestone alleys and 17th and 18th century architecture.

The town was nice, but with a population of around 1500, as you would imagine, it didn’t take us long to see the place. From here our all-day ticket gave us access to the round island bus. So we hopped the number 1 bus and explored and lapped the whole island.

Through the golf courses, along the narrow lanes, past the crystal caves and some stunning beaches and on to the capital, Hamilton. If St Georges was small at 1500, then Hamilton only had 900. It was set up as the business and shopping district but virtually nobody lived here.

From here it was back on a ferry and a return to the port (getting drenched in the process) for a nap before heading out again. We had booked in that evening to have dinner at the Frog and Onion Pub, an allegedly iconic venue. So after a warming shower, we were out again, for what was a very short visit.

The area around the port was really pretty, but our arrival at the Frog and Onion saw an extortionate menu of both food and beverages. Jill checked it out and found that food in Bermuda was on average 65% more expensive than in New York City. We ordered a beer each (over $50) after tax and tip, glanced at the menu and decided to get back on the ship and eat our meal on the boat.

The next morning it was up to explore the dockyards more fully (the day before had been cut short due to weather and everything closing at 6pm). What looked like a second large fort on top of the hill was our target. We figured that we could get a fair exercise wandering about that. But no.

It was in such a state of disrepair that it was closed to the public and some sketchy photos through the fence were the best we could do. The only other thing left on the docks was the clocktower shopping centre, the expected collection of t-shirts and trinkets for the old people not willing to explore further than the immediate dock area (there are more of these than you would imagine).

The Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo houses a collection of marine life, including sharks, turtles and colorful coral reefs. You can also explore the zoo, which is home to a diverse range of animals.

Snorkel Park Beach sits almost directly behind the dockyards and offers white sand, bars and restaurants. It is the closest and easiest snorkelling and swimming spot that you can simply walk to.

But it will cost you $15 each to get in, $40 (each) if you want a lounger and another $20 if you want an umbrella.

Bermuda was nice enough, but the weather hampered our snorkeling aspirations. We are glad that we came but the exorbitant pricing probably leaves it in the ‘been there done that’ category rather than the ‘must come back to’ one.

America

More of Florida

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Florida’s Space Coast

Florida’s Space Coast is a stretch of land that runs almost 120 km (72 miles) taking in a range of beach communities. All American space launches carrying NASA astronauts have departed from here.

For us, it felt almost exactly like a carbon copy of what the Gold Coast of Queensland looked like back in the 1970’s and 80’s (before the wall of high rises took over.

We stayed at a place called Cocoa Beach, about 24 km south of the space centre. It had been a small town since the 1920’s but had its major population growth during the 1950s-60s when it spiked 1000% as a result of the US space program. Cocoa Beach was the setting for the 1960s sitcom ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, although no episodes were actually filmed there.

There is a main highway running along the middle with a couple of blocks of 1-4 storey buildings fronting the beach. The larger buildings are the start of major tourist developments, but thus far have been staved off, meaning the place has kept an old-world charm.

On one of our cruises, we met a couple of sisters (Iris and Lee) from Florida, who we stayed in touch with over Facebook. When I posted that we were headed that way, Iris reached out and the next day they came and picked us up from our hotel and amused us thoroughly over the afternoon.

The first stop was to the infamous Walmart, for a shopping experience of a lifetime. Jill bought a huge (50oz) sippy cup and I got a couple of stupid logo shirts.

From here we were off on a local’s tour of the area. This saw us having lunch on the docks, cruising the beaches, sipping beers at some local beachside bars and getting key lime pie from a famous venue. Apparently, the key lime pie place has a 5 foot 11 inch, blind alligator (Sweetie) out front on the weekends (we were there midweek). Sweetie was sworn in on August 22nd, 2020 by Brevard County Sheriff Sheriff as a Deputy Sheriff.

Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral is a deep water port in central Florida that tries to serve as the Central Florida maritime gateway for the import and export of consumer goods. Despite this, 80% of the Port’s revenue is generated from the cruise business. This ensures that it has state-of-the-art facilities to service even the largest and most sophisticated cruise ships. that now homeport or make a port call for the day.

Entry to the port is past the Exploration Tower. This is a 7 storey structure with educational setups on each floor. These are both marine life and space-related (go figure).

The top storeys are viewing decks for both the port facilities and also the space launches when they are on.

Five different cruise lines use this area as either a base or a port.

Port Canaveral also has fishing charters and one-of-a-kind, waterfront dining that serves some of the freshest seafood in Florida.

Space launches

The earth rotates west to east and is at its fastest at the equator. To launch a vessel into space takes a lot of energy, so if you launch in an easterly direction from near the equator, you can use this rotation to gain speed, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency of the rocket. Add to this that not all launches are successful, launching from an empty area and into the ocean minimises the danger to people. For all of these reasons, this area was chosen and has served as the primary launching site for NASA since 1961.

Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral is a beachside community on Florida’s ‘Space Coast‘. The city lies between family vacationers and cutting-edge space travel technology. It has warm weather (hot and humid) almost all year round, beautiful scenery, outdoor amenities, and one of the largest deepwater ports in the world.

The main attraction for the area is obviously the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex. The complex is organised chronologically using mission names for the various zones – Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and beyond. The centre started in 1963 when NASA allowed self-guided tours and later funding was approved for a full-scale visitor centre.

Today the Complex sits on 42 acres and is America’s front-row view of space travel and its evolution. The centre offers historic artifacts, tours, astronaut encounters, rocket launches, models and simulations of future space travel.

Needless to say, the experience does not come cheaply ($75 USD per person admission), especially if you want to tack on any of the additional goodies. The add-ons are on top of the entry and may include:

  • $70 for a launch ticket viewing
  • $50 (plus tax) to chat with an astronaut
  • $30 Walk on Mars through VR
  • $30 weightlessness spacewalk in the Microgravity Simulator
  • $150 live and work on Mars (simulator)

Being so close to Cape Canaveral, the first thing we did was to google a launch schedule, only to find that the official NASA site listed no launches in the time we were there. Enter our saviours, Lee and Iris. They pulled up the Space Monkey site which lists all launches and not just the NASA ones. Lee pulled it up on her phone and found a launch taking place at 4:52am the following morning. We would have missed this all together.

Just as importantly as finding the launch, she talked us through what to expect. This proved critical as we would have left after the initial launch and would have missed the best bits.

For anyone reading along, this was a truly amazing experience, and both Jill and I want to come back to see more.

We wandered out of our hotel and walked down to the beach, before the scheduled launch time. From a totally free ($$$) spot on the shoreline, we stared at some flashing lights that we guessed would be the launch site.

All of a sudden the entire sky lit up as a ball of flames slowly rose from the earth.

It disappeared behind some clouds, reappeared and then disappeared out of the atmosphere.

At this point I would have thought that it was all over, but Lee and Iris told us to wait.

About 3 minutes after the light show ended, this low rumbling noise started to grow until your entire chest was rattling at the noise of the rocket (physics in action – light moving faster than sound etc).

After this you would think it was done, but no, keep waiting.

After about 7 minutes the booster rocket detaches from the rocket and reenters the atmosphere as a flaming, plummeting fireball.

Once again, it was time to go, but no. About a minute later the sonic boom from the booster rocket shook you to your very core.

Oh my, what an experience.

Having done all of this, the show was finally over and it was safe to go.

I cannot express just how good an experience this was.

I want to come back and do it again, and again.

From June to October, the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River, and Indian River Lagoon come alive with bioluminescence – light produced by chemical reactions in the bodies of living things.

Glittering dinoflagellates and pulsing Comb Jellies, create mystical light shows that you can see for yourself via kayak excursion. Structures within these algae ignite with light when disturbed. This acts as both a shield against predators and a lure for prey. But as kayakers slice through the night water, their movements spur the dinoflagellates to burst into light.

Orlando

Only 45 minutes away is the major city of Orlando. Cited in the heart of central Florida it is mostly known as the home of the theme parks (there are over a dozen here). There are four theme park resorts in Orlando over a dozen different theme parks and sub variations.

  • Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks is the largest theme park resort in America. It has four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom), includes 22 hotels, and two water parks.
  • Universal Studios features four theme parks (Universal Studios, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay) along with a Water Park and eight hotels.
  • SeaWorld has the usual marine attractions, rollercoasters and other theme park rides.
  • Aquatica – another water based zoo
  • Fun Spot America – all rides
  • Icon Park (including the SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium)
  • Magical Midway Thrill Park – rides
  • Gatorland – 3 guesses
  • Dinosaur World – 3 guesses
  • Safari Wilderness – and about 4 other zoo style parks as well
  • Legoland
  • Peppa Pig Theme Park
  • Tank America – drive in a tank and run over cars.

We looked at attending one of the theme parks but on closer examination, it would have cost us the better part of $1000 Australian for a one day pass to one of the major theme parks. Neither of us really being that much into rides, and having seen so much of the world already, we chose to keep our cash and pass on the parks.

I am certain that they would have been entertaining, but in your 50’s the idea of seeing Mickey Mouse is not as interesting as it may have once been.

Travelling the world in a pre and post COVID state