Jordan: Pre-departure

Well, it's been a year already since I took my first solo trip. Last year, I was pretty excited about my trip to Egypt, but this year I feel a bit differently about my heading to Jordan.

Initially, I didn't really want to do this trip alone as I sorta learned my lesson from traveling alone in this region, but then no one could go or wanted to go with me and I decided that if I have to wait until I can travel with someone I might miss out on the opportunities to see places I want to see. Plus, one of my five reminders for this year is to remember that I came to the area to travel!

So, I found a tour company (Golden Crown Tours) that was able to put me into a small tour group so that I wouldn't have to pay individual tour prices and I could have some company while traveling in Jordan. I've learned that I'll be joining a group of 4 from Spain, so this might be an all-Spanish tour - good for my language skills... - and hopefully it'll be a good group.

Truthfully, I'm a bit nervous about this trip. There's no logical explanation for my anxiety, but I'm praying and hoping it will be fine once I arrive. Last year, I was only excited, but maybe that was because I was going somewhere I had dreamed of since I was eight. This time, I'm not even sure why I picked Jordan other than it was nearby and I've heard good things about Petra and other sites. So... I'll try to update when I can with pics and thoughts.

Off we go!

Until next time,

-T

On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 3 (The last for this trip!)

From KL, I took a short flight to Kuching, Sarawak located on the Borneo island, but still a part of Malaysia. The remainder of my trip was spent with a friend in this area. Kuching means "Cat city" in Malay, so there were a lot of cat statues around the city. I don't have too much to say about my impressions or daily activities. Most of the time was spent exploring on the back of a scooter and seeing the sights. The weather was fairly unpredictable as it was the wet season there and not many tourists or activities were seen around town. So, here are some photos and more can be found (eventually) on my main website. Enjoy!

 

One of the many cat statues

A poor mangy kitten on the street, but so cute!

Museum or something...

Chinese temple

Night view of the boardwalk

Top Spot food court...poor fish....

Food court - was really good seafood, actually!

One day kayaking in the highlands

 

A Malaysian night

While I'm definitely glad I made a visit here, I'm not sure that I would go again..., but you never know! It was a good holiday and I'm already thinking about the next adventure!

Until next time...

-T

On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 2

Feeling refreshed after a good long sleep, I awoke ready to explore outside of the city for a little bit by visiting the Batu Caves. It's a mere half hour bus ride from the city centre to the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to climb 272 steps to the caves that hold a Hindu shrine. I don't really know much about the history, but Phyllisse recommended that I see it and I figured it was a good chance for me to get out and explore on my own a bit.

Entrance to the Batu Caves

Shrine inside caves

Monkey attraction

While finding the right bus was a bit of a challenge, I did eventually find it and made it out to the cave. It was an interesting experience and while I think the monkeys are perhaps the main attraction to the area, I'm told that the attraction is really the shrine and the Thaipusum festival draws quite the crowd (which I thankfully missed by a week as I'd hate to visit anywhere with thousands of other people...).

After seeing the caves, I ventured back into the city centre and enjoyed Chinatown a bit more.

Petaling Street (Chinatown)

In the evening, I met up with Phyllise for dinner and she showed me around Bukit Bintang area, which is part of the Golden Triangle section of the city. This area is known as the main shopping and entertainment area where you might find more of the pubs and tourists.

Chinese New Year decorations inside mall

Food stalls

While I really enjoyed getting to see the city of KL through the eyes of a couple of local ladies, I was happy to be escaping the city for my next destination in hopes of seeing a bit more of a quieter and natural-side of the country.

More to come...

-T

PS More pictures to be found on main website.

On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 1

It only took me about 24 hours to get to Malaysia from Hawaii, but I made it! I've wanted to see Kuala Lumpur for a while now, though I can't remember what caused me to have an interest in the city initially. With vacation still left to use up, hitting this Southeast Asian country seemed like a good idea. :D

Upon arrival, I caught the KLIA train in to KL Sentral station to drop off my bags as I had decided to take advantage of Couchsurfing and couldn't meet my host until later in the evening. However, through Couchsurfing, I met Nicole who had contacted me about staying at my place when she visits Abu Dhabi. So, she kindly agreed to meet with me and spent most of the day driving me around the city showing me the sites.

Thean Hou Temple

Merdeka

The National Mosque

The famous Petronas Towers

It was great to get oriented to the city of Kuala Lumpur via car as I was kept from having to traipse around on the trains in my very tired state.

I finally was able to meet my host, Phyllisse, in the evening, but was so exhausted that we went to her place where I got a short nap and got up for quick Chinese food dinner near her place, then went back and crashed out! More pictures and update for the following day to come!

Until then,

-T

On the plane again...Stop 2 Part 2

~ Hawaii - Oahu ~

In Japan, I used to attend a Hope Chapel chain of churches. The Hope Chapel group started in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Oahu. So, over the years I've made a few friends and though I've lost touch with a few, with the wonders of Facebook, I've reconnected with some. One of my friends from way back when, invited me to stop in Oahu since I was going to be in the area. :D Though time was short, I was able to visit for a day.

Some of the photos here:

Sam greeted me in Hawaiian style with a lei (too bad I can't take it with me...)

A visit to Oahu wouldn't be complete without seeing Pearl Harbor. It was a small area, but worth a visit.

Pearl Harbor - USS Bowfin Sub

Pearl Harbor - Memorial

Pearl Harbor - Flag waving on USS Arizona Memorial

After our stop at Pearl Harbor, we drove through the city a bit and headed up for a view. We discussed doing a short hike on Diamond head to get a view coming the other direction, but after an early start to my day, my energy was running low. So, the drive to this point was good enough. :D

View of Honolulu from Tantalus Point (Diamond Head on left)

Waikiki Beach

Oahu definitely has more of the Hawaiian feel for me. We drove around the city of Honolulu a bit during the day so I was able to see the neighborhoods (saw Obama's haunts) and enjoy some of the flora that I was expecting to see. In the afternoon, I took a rest, but hit the sands of Waikiki for a swim and sunbathe before resting up for dinner. Though time was too short, I had a great visit and shout out a THANK YOU to Sam, my tour guide for the day. :D

I definitely hope to visit again. Hawaii is a great vacation destination!

More travels to come...

-T

On the plane again...Stop 2 Part 1

~ Hawaii - Kailua Kona ~

It was family vacation time for the past week in Kailua Kona on the Big Island! We haven't all been together like this in years - perhaps longer than my memory serves. So, it was so great to hang out with my brother and catch up with my parents. Since I don't live closeby, these moments are more precious whenever they are had.

My parents rented a house off of Ali'i road just a bit outside of the main downtown area. We had a Jeep Rubicon as our wheels to get around. Throughout the week, we snorkeled, surfed, boogie-boarded, tanned, and explored the island a bit.

When I first arrived, I was a bit surprised at the scenery as I had imagined Hawaii to be lush with flora all over. However, due to the volcanic activity on the Big Island, there is more lava to be seen. It's interesting and makes for different views of this tropical paradise. However, the beaches were still great, the water still warm and much fun still had.

I'll post a few pics here, but more will come on my main blog site when I return home. Enjoy!

The lava scenery

Sunset on the first night

The parents enjoying the beach life!

Green sands beach - yes the sand is green!

South Point - southern most point in the US and so much water.

Sunset from the house - each night we waited for the green flash...., but the margaritas didn't help. :D

Cheers! for my family!!!

Next stop coming up...

-T

On the plane again...Stop 1 Part 2

A visit to Japan is never complete unless I have seen my BFF, godson and friend (same family). Since my godson, Ethan, just had a birthday last week turning the ripe ol' age of 4, I wanted to be sure to celebrate and give him a present. Also, I'm not sure when I'm going to see all of them again (hopefully back home in the summer...).

Since Ethan had a free meal and dessert coming to him at Outback Steakhouse, we met there to catch up. Though a quiet meal, we still had fun.

The Suzuki family

The birthday boy spacing off....

A look of disappointment when waiting for his birthday ice cream...(they sang for someone else first...)

At last, it has arrived!!

"Not gonna let a single bite go...even if it makes me sick!!"

The whole gang - Happy Birthday, Ethan!