Getting to Madagascar from the US

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 […]

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Weekend in Munich: Oktoberfest and Neuschwanstein

(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 […]

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Getting our Cameras Dusty in Antelope Canyon

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. […]

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Mittens and Fry Bread

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, […]

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Smoked Out in Bryce Canyon

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, […]

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Hiking Zion National Park

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 […]

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Wine Tasting in Sonoma

For Memorial Day in 2012, we headed to wine country in California. We’d visited the year before, but it quickly became one of our favourite destinations so we ignored our “don’t go places more than once” rule. We flew into San Francisco and then headed North (making a brief stop at Muir Woods). We stayed […]

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The Quest for the Quetzal

(Location: San Gerado del Doto, Costa Rica) We’re not birders. Well, I’m definitely not a birder. Andy says he’s not a birder. In any event, we found ourselves driving halfway up the Pan American highway in search of the Resplendent Quetzal. Neither of us are feeling that great at this point in the trip. Let’s […]

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Birds, birds, birds

(Location: San Vito, Costa Rica) From Pavones, we drove (well, were driven) two hours back to Golfito, and then another very hilly, windy hour to Las Cruces Biological Station. There is one reason to go here: birds. We were only here for one night, and had the whole place to ourselves. We did a two […]

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Lots of hummingbirds and one less camera

(Location: Pavones, Costa Rica) No one had heard of this place. We were pretty close to Panama. There were small planes that seemed to land and take off in the middle of the night. Where the heck were we ?? From the Osa Peninsula, we took a private ferry to the other side of the […]

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