Dole Pineapple Plantation
Friday, February 29, 2008
Oahu, Hawaii 2006
This was an off-the-cuff trip made when I ran into a 5 night hotel plus airfare deal that is too good to ignore. Tourism was down because of the wet weather the islanders were having so they offered a lot of freebees to encourage visitors to come. The weather was not that bad. There was enough sunshine between light drizzle to heavy downpour to make the unplanned vacation an enjoyable one. In fact, I liked it so much because it reminded me of the Philippines during its rainy season.
Dole Pineapple Plantation
Dole Pineapple Plantation
Friday, February 22, 2008
New England-Canada cruise, October 2005
We took this cruise because we were expecting to see the colorful leaves during fall for which New England is famous for. However, our timing was off - it was a bit early so we did not see much of what we wanted to see. No big loss though, we already experienced fall in this area when we made a one week road trip three years earlier covering the whole New England, including Quebec in Canada.
We decided to fly to New Year a couple of days earlier before starting our cruise and stayed another two days after the cruise. These gave us time to revisit old haunts and visit friends based in New York and New Jersey.
When we were at the Bay of Fundy, I was hoping we could see the tidal bore in action, again our timing was off! I've got to return to this place and watch this natural phenomenon! I think there are only two places on earth where this occur and I want to see it. My friends asked me what's the big deal about it. Frankly, I do not know. I just want to see it in my lifetime.
New York City in early morning light. Wherever I am and whenever I can do it, I love to take loooong morning walks. In case of seedy and dangerous neighborhoods, I gamble on the belief that the muggers and other criminal elements are still asleep. They ply their trades at night, don't they? My wife doesn't think so LOL.
We decided to fly to New Year a couple of days earlier before starting our cruise and stayed another two days after the cruise. These gave us time to revisit old haunts and visit friends based in New York and New Jersey.
When we were at the Bay of Fundy, I was hoping we could see the tidal bore in action, again our timing was off! I've got to return to this place and watch this natural phenomenon! I think there are only two places on earth where this occur and I want to see it. My friends asked me what's the big deal about it. Frankly, I do not know. I just want to see it in my lifetime.
New York City in early morning light. Wherever I am and whenever I can do it, I love to take loooong morning walks. In case of seedy and dangerous neighborhoods, I gamble on the belief that the muggers and other criminal elements are still asleep. They ply their trades at night, don't they? My wife doesn't think so LOL.
Here I am taking a pic of our stateroom with my compact Canon S500 camera. I've since replaced it with a Canon SD800IS. I have thought of upgrading to an SLR many times but I am always deterred by its size and complexity. I am a shoot-from-the-hip picture taker and I am quite happy with what I capture - "mababaw kasi ang kaligayahan ko" photographically speaking.
Promenade deck at night. There is a jogging and walking course at the top deck of most cruise ships but I prefer to do my walks on the promenade deck. On larger cruise ships, three complete circuits on its promenade deck is equal to one mile. You have to exercise a bit of caution when you are approaching the bow when the wind is blowing hard and the sea is rough - you can get wet and/or forced by the wind to hang on to the guardrails as you walk.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Alaska cruise, July 2002
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Mediterranean cruise, June 2003
A cruise along the Mediterranean Sea is one of the better cruises on the market because of the many exciting ports of call and the many famous cities and places within easy reach of the ports.
Before we left for Barcelona (our embarkation port) we were introduced via email to a Pinoy, based in Italy, who started a business of taking cruisers to their destinations of interest for less than half the price of the ship's land tours! He has a 12 passenger van and he took us where we wanted to go for the day. He picked us up as we disembark in the morning and return us to the ship before the ship sails away. We used his service at Civitavecchia (Rome), Villafranche (Monaco, Monte Carlo and Nice) and Naples. He does not advertise but he generates business through referrals. Last I heard his business has expanded and he now has several vans and they do not only take passengers from cruise ships but they now take tourists on land tours in Europe. Good for him and his business!
A victim of Mt. Vesuvious' eruption
A hillside view of Florence
Before we left for Barcelona (our embarkation port) we were introduced via email to a Pinoy, based in Italy, who started a business of taking cruisers to their destinations of interest for less than half the price of the ship's land tours! He has a 12 passenger van and he took us where we wanted to go for the day. He picked us up as we disembark in the morning and return us to the ship before the ship sails away. We used his service at Civitavecchia (Rome), Villafranche (Monaco, Monte Carlo and Nice) and Naples. He does not advertise but he generates business through referrals. Last I heard his business has expanded and he now has several vans and they do not only take passengers from cruise ships but they now take tourists on land tours in Europe. Good for him and his business!
A victim of Mt. Vesuvious' eruption
A hillside view of Florence
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