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China 2018 Day 5 – Where the Wall Meets the Ocean.
Read More: China 2018 Day 5 – Where the Wall Meets the Ocean.This morning we were picked up at 6am to get to our bullet train to Shanhaiguan. We were too early for our hotel breakfast so for the first time in our lives we had KFC Chicken sandwiches and coffee for breakfast. It was all that was open when we were there. Starbucks, McDonalds etc all…
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China 2018 Day 3
Read More: China 2018 Day 3Today started with another good breakfast at our hotel and we were met by JT, our guide. First up was the Temple of Heaven. The temple was visited by Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (who were considered the sons of Heaven) for annual ceremonies and sacrifices for a good harvest. It is commonly…
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China 2018 Day 2
Read More: China 2018 Day 2Today we had a free day in Beijing. IE no tour guide or set schedule. We deliberately set this up to help overcome any jet lag. After a decent night’s sleep we enjoyed a good breakfast in our hotel and decided to go out and walk to Beihai Park. On the map it…
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China 2018 Day 1
Read More: China 2018 Day 1Today, or really yesterday, we flew to Beijing. We managed an upgrade so were super comfortable. Or at least as much as you can be for a 11 hour + flight. Fold flat seat pods are so amazing. Clearing customs was easy. In fact easier than the US by far! We were met by our…
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Grand Sirenis Akumal Mexico
Read More: Grand Sirenis Akumal MexicoFor years I’ve wanted to get away at the Christmas break. For years I’ve looked and shied away due to pricing, timing and other reasons. This year the timing of the school breaks, our work schedules and yes, even the pricing worked out. So we headed off to the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya in Akumal…
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Galapagos Snorkeling
Read More: Galapagos SnorkelingAt long last I’ve had a chance to compile the videos from our snorkelling. Sea Lions, penguins, rays and sharks. Definitely Oh My! There was so much to see, this is just a sample. It’s still 9 minutes long though. Watch here And here is the highlight reel from the trip: Watch here…
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Ecuador Day 23 – Santa Cruz and Anniversary
Read More: Ecuador Day 23 – Santa Cruz and AnniversaryToday is our 23rd wedding anniversary. That is the reason we aren’t flying home yesterday or today. I refused to be a traveller on my anniversary. I wanted (as did Kris) to enjoy the day. So we extended our vacation a couple days so we could be here. We have a tradition of being on…
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Ecuador Day 22 – Santa Cruz
Read More: Ecuador Day 22 – Santa CruzThis morning we slept in, all the way to 730! Our hotel is nice but the curtains aren’t so good at blocking light. But hey, that’s two hours later than the last few days. After a nice breakfast we wandered into town to add more data to the phone plan. We are using a mix…
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Ecuador Day 21 – Cruise Day 8 – North Seymour and Santa Cruz
Read More: Ecuador Day 21 – Cruise Day 8 – North Seymour and Santa CruzThis morning we woke up anchored just off North Seymour. Yet another lovely sunrise. We’ve seen a lot of those recently. From that view we had a very short ride in the dinghy to land for the last hike of the cruise. At 6am of course. But we got to see more sea lions, land…
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Ecuador Day 20 – Cruise Day 7 – Floreana and Santa Cruz
Read More: Ecuador Day 20 – Cruise Day 7 – Floreana and Santa CruzThis morning on Floreana was another early start to do our final wet landing. Then a short easy walk to a lagoon to see flamingos. Their nesting site. And feeding on shrimp, squid and insects. The colour of the flamingo is mostly determined by the food they eat. After viewing we continued over to the…
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Loire Valley Wineries
The last several days have been a blur of winery visits, cafe lunches and picnics in beautiful locations! We stopped by Chateau du Petit Thouars for a tour, tasting and lunch. The family has owned the chateau and its winery since 1634. We met Sebastian, the multi-grandson, and the chateau cat, Biscuit (although he wasn’t…
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Chinon
Today we visited the town of Chinon on the River Vienne. Chinon was the favourite dwelling place of Henri II Plantagenet and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Joan of Arc arrived in Chinon in 1429 claiming to hear heavenly voices telling her that Charles VII, the French dauphin, would give her an army to neutralize…
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Tours to Loire Valley
We bid a last adieu to Eric (again!) this morning. We left him at his orientation picnic in Tours and headed deeper into the Loire Valley to continue our oenotourism! We stopped for lunch and a wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere, a women-run winery in the country where we had a lesson on the…
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