Sunrises, sunsets, kayaking and other adventures
What a surreal first quarter! I feel like we've been playing dodge ball with the fast spreading Corona virus; been incredibly lucky to date. As I write this, the US government has just announced a 30 day ban on travel to Europe; the Indian government has also put a stop on foreigners traveling to India …
When we decided to go to the Dolomites to ski, we also decided to spend a few days in Venice. After all, the last time either of us had visited was more than a decade ago! My enduring memory of my trip there almost two decades ago was the floods - half a foot of …
Coming down from the mountains, we spent a day in Verona, a quiet (relative to Venice) town just an hour and a half from the coast. View of the Adige River We arrived on Valentine's Day, and we were initially dismayed at the realisation, because we hadn't thought to make restaurant reservations in advance. But …
It's been almost two decades since I was last in Italy. Oh my, time has flown... I can't believe that I'm almost 20 years older. Anyway, we had been very much looking forward to this trip - for the food, wine, culture, and of course the skiing. Nothing disappointed, even though this hasn't been the …
... for old times' sake. Got to spend a week in Sydney last week for work, so I got in the weekend before to meet up with friends. As usual, when the weather cooperates, I just had to get out on the water for a spot of kayaking. Garry, Bridget and Natalie joined me for …
Writing a look back on the past year hadn't crossed my mind this time, not to mention my complete overlooking of the fact that another decade had just flashed by. I only realized this after the deluge of posts by friends online, listing their accomplishments, highlights and lowlights. Photographically speaking (since this is technically a …
What an incredible week we just spent living on the Blue Manta, a diving liveaboard that is currently sailing the waters of Raja Ampat, from the Dampier Strait to Misool and back. A pod of at least two dozen spinner dolphins accompanying our sail to Dampier Strait Life underwater there is so rich, teeming with …
Diwali long weekend = another opportunity to explore the region around us. Our aim this year - and the next - is to visit as many South East Asian cities and historical sites as possible while we live here. So that's how we (Jeff and my old primary school mate Kate) found ourselves in Yogyakarta …
I got to go to San Francisco recently for work. It must have been about 10 years since I've been there, but happily, I now have a bunch of friends who have moved to the area over the years. So I had the good fortune to catch up with them over the two weeks I …
On schedule, the nearby mosque blares their prayers at 4 am. At least I'm up already; I usually bolt upright around this time anyway. I drift back to sleep after the prayer ends, and rouse the next time my alarm pings, which varies depending on the tide times. I've been in Nusa Penida, an island …
