Kirindy, Madagascar When we booked this trip, we asked the travel agent when the best time to travel was based on what we wanted to see. I remember him saying, “If you go in the first few weeks of November, all of the fossa are mating so you will be more likely to see one.” […]
Berenty, Madagascar We’d been warned about flight delays and general inefficiency in Madagascar. But our flight to Berenty actually departed four hours early! Our guide found out late the night before, so we were up early for the now 6:45am flight. I guess this is why our travel agent insisted we have him with us […]
Andasibe National Park, Madagascar The drive from Tana to Andasibe was a little rough – lots of passing on one lane roads, and very, very, windy roads. We were both glad when the four hour drive was over and we arrived at the Vakona Forest Lodge. We were in room #1, which was conveniently […]
Antananarivo – The Hub of Madagascar We usually don’t use travel agents, but it was kind of a must for this trip. In addition to insisting that we have a guide travel with us, they insisted that we have day layovers in Antananarivo (Tana) due to flight…irregularities. We’ve traveled quite a bit, so thought this […]
Traveling Light Getting to Madagascar from the US takes a bit of time, especially if you are on frequent flyer tickets. We’d booked forever in advance so we got business class tickets and were flying Houston – DC – Johannesburg – Antananarivo. There was a hurricane in the Atlantic, so we were watching the weather […]
(Location: Munich, Germany) Andy had a work trip to Munich, which happened to coincide with Oktoberfest, so I tagged along for a long weekend. Oktoberfest is something you have to do once. It’s kind of like the Houston Rodeo, but stickier, and with more singing (slurring) and dancing (swaying). The entire city seems to get […]
We’d visited Antelope Canyon a few years back, and decided that a return visit was in order with our newer cameras. If you’ve never heard of Antelope Canyon, you’ve likely seen photos of it. We stayed at the Best Western, which isn’t the cheapest option but it is as good as it gets in Page. […]
After being foiled by forest fires in Bryce Canyon, we decided to end our stay early and head over to Monument Valley. The drive took a little under five hours, and passed quickly. Monument Valley is the quintessential image of “the west” – flat plains punctuated by towering buttes (nicknamed “mittens”). We stayed at Gouldings, […]
After hiking in Zion, we drove an hour and a half northeast to Bryce Canyon. We’d visited Bryce a few years back, and had fond memories of amazing landscapes and great hiking. We stayed at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon, which is the only accommodation inside the park. We were steps from the Rim Trail, […]
We’d been to Zion before, but it was more of a drive-through so we decided to return for a proper visit. We stayed at the Zion Lodge, which is the only option for accommodations inside the park. In peak season, this is the best approach to avoid having to park at the entrance and take […]