Giovianne’s Shimp Coach in Haliwea, Hawaii

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halewei ohau hawaii

Go figure. I HAD NO IDEA how beautiful Hawaii was. Probably one of my best vacations ever. Perhaps that was because it was a family holiday and not a trip I organized for a group of rather eccentric travelers. So, no responsibility or liability – just pure unadulterated pleasure!!! We stayed in a quaint two-bedroom house on the windward side of Oahu, near Waimea Beach. It was absolutely heavenly. Hiking, ATV riding, horseback riding, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, boogie boarding, rode in a submarine, climbed up Diamond Head, went to a luau and much much more! The website we rented the house through was http://vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and we can all highly recommend! I definitely had my reservations about 7 people inhabiting a 2-bedroom house for a week – sight unseen! Turned out that it was the PERFECT size. It was great to have the owners check in with us from time to time to make sure all was well. But, probably the best aspect of renting the house was being able to drive into and out of the madness of Honolulu and Waikiki when we wanted to – back to the safe refuge of the north shore. This year a week in Oahu; next year a week in Maui!!!!

Dubai (UAE) Desert Safari

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dubai desert sand

Back from Arabia and glad to be home! Egypt is such a favorite country, but after traveling there over 7 times already – this is my last trip there for awhile. It would have been great to have taken the opportunity to travel in the remote western Oasis areas, but it was not in the cards this time. It was great to see the many friends I have accumulated there over the years, but it is finally time to leave well-enough alone and focus other adventures for awhile.

Visiting Dubai was interesting, but it is still very much a City in its infancy. It will take some time before it’s soul develops any character. It was rather astounding to visit the small and meager National Museum which featured a video focusing 100% on the future. Although there is diversity in the brands when it comes to the shopping malls, there are certainly no bargains for our poor weak dollar! I was able to get out and do a desert safari with a Yemeni driver and some Kazak tourists which was really fun. Anyway, everyone has different travel objectives and my interests have always been culture oriented. In a city with 80% foreign residents, it was just not my bag….

Citadel in Cairo Egypt

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Egypt - knk Mohammed Ali Mosque

Leaving for Egypt tomorrow, which is Thanksgiving Day. Lots to do in the meantime. Had to expedite the renewal of my passport which cost me some $$. Now I have an empty book as opposed to one that is filled with VISA

The World Traveller beginnings

EgyptDubai-11.24.07-081aI am compulsive when it comes to travel. It is my passion. People travel for many reasons. Some are interested in scholarly pursuits; some have interest in physical challenges. There are those whose objectives simply are to check off countries on a list. There is commerce, religious and also humanitarian endeavors that drive people into travel situations. For whatever reasons we travel, once we take that first jump