Archive of All Posts

Iguazu Falls Argentina and Brazil

After all the positive comments we‘d received about the Iguazu Falls it was the next priority on our bucket list ...
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Vitivinicola Bus Wine Tour

We decided to take the Vitivinicola bus wine tour in Mendoza Argentina as prices of upwards of $150 per person ...
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Some Other Places to Visit in Peru

There are many diverse places to visit in Peru, so instead of flying - and seeing nothing of the country ...
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Arequipa Peru

Arequipa Peru, also known as the “White City”, is the second largest city in Peru and full of interesting history ...
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Salar de Uyuni Tours – A Unique Lifetime Experience

We arrived in Uyuni the day before setting out with Perla da Bolivia - our choice of the many Salar ...
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Bolivia Tourist Attractions are Blessed by Nature

We transferred from Peru Hop to Bolivia Hop after clearing the border on the way to the first of our ...
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Bolivia Hop Review

As we went through the border from Puno in Peru to Copacabana in Bolivia we changed from Peru Hop to ...
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Peru Hop Review

Instead of flying (and seeing nothing of the country) we decided to take the PeruHop bus through southern Peru from ...
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Peru Tourist Attractions

With our second visit to Peru we decided to enjoy some of the Peru tourist attractions in southern Peru. A ...
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PeruHop and BoliviaHop Bus

We highly recommend PeruHop and BoliviaHop as our experience with them was memorable. The company is well managed and you ...
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Piura Peru – a dusty dirty, city in the desert

Our trip from the village of Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador to Piura in northern Peru was via the city of ...
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Vilcabamba Ecuador – perfect weather and low cost of living

We took a shuttle from Cuena to Vilcabamba Ecuador … a four and a half hour trip from Hostel La ...
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Hiking the Izhcayluma Loop in Vilcabamba

After looking at the various hiking options in Vilcabamba we decided to do the Izhcayluma Loop Hike.Making the decision to ...
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Biting Midges or No-See-Ums – mean little biting bugs

No-see-ums are unknown by their scientific name of Ceratopogonidae. But they are known all over the world by various names ...
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Lake Titicaca Peru Overnight Stay

The Lake Titicaca Peru overnight stay excursion includes visiting the Uros Floating Islands, Taquile Island and spending the night with ...
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Lima Peru

Cheap tickets to Lima Peru are not easy to find. We flew from Bogota Colombia on VivaColombia (Fast Colombia SAS!) ...
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Cuenca Ecuador

We visited Quito and Cuenca Ecuador after Peru. Our trip planning wasn’t the best in that we had to pay ...
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Bus Travel in Colombia

Accepted bus travel in Colombia takes longer than flying but:you see the country,the seats are more comfortable,you don’t have to ...
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Bogota Colombia – Not Just a Big Dirty City

In Medellin we were told that Bogota Colombia "is just a big dirty city". From our experience there's nothing further ...
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Walking the Inca Trail Machu Picchu

I took on walking the Inca Trail ... the iconic 4 day 3 night hike ... a month before my ...
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Thanks Medellin – To The Young Woman and Metrocable Attendants

Thanks Medellin! Firstly to the young Paisa woman who came to my assistance and to the Metrocable attendants at Line ...
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Downtown Walking Tour in Medellin

Our Real City Downtown Walking Tour in Medellin gave us an interesting and informative overview of the city and its ...
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Medellin Colombia A Very Normal City

Arriving at Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in Medellin and being in a new country our first mission was to ...
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Medellin Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour

The Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour in Medellin was enjoyable and informative. With stories brought alive by our guide, Oscar, who ...
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Visiting Panama

We travelled by bus from Uvita in the south of Costa Rica through David to Boquete in Panama.BoqueteBoquete is a ...
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Visit to Parque Arvi from Medellin

After nearly 2 weeks in Medellin our final sightseeing outing was to the calm and tranquility of Parque Arvi.More...Take the ...
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Visiting El Pénon and Guatape Town from Medellin

El Peñon or “the rock” is located near the town of La Piedra and just a 5-minute taxi ride away ...
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Cuba Visa Information for South Africa Passports

Relying on the Cuba visa information from Google can result in an uncomfortable and expensive mistake.This is an account of ...
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Colombia visa for a South African passport

This is our story of the rigmarole of getting a Colombia visa for a South African passport. Another episode about ...
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Bus Travel – Panama

Panama has a bus travel culture. There are very limited railways and flying is both expensive and an increasing hassle.We ...
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Bus Travel – Costa Rica

Bus Travel Costa Rica is a part of the travel culture. There are very limited railways and flying is both ...
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Uvita – Costa Rica

After Quepos we decided to spend a few days in Uvita Costa Rica. A small town, a very small town, ...
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Holiday in Cuba – Insights – Final

My final thoughts and insights of our holiday in Cuba. To get the complete story read part 1, 2 and ...
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Holiday in Cuba – Insights – Part 3

InternetWhen on holiday in Cuba Internet access does exist ... but! To access it is a step by step process: ...
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Holiday in Cuba – Transportation – Part 2

Getting Around by RoadOff the National Highway getting anywhere by road is slow. Negotiating plodding water buffalo drawn carts, horse ...
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The Experience – SEPA Spanish School Costa Rica

Today we said “hasta luego” for the last time as we started our walk from SEPA Spanish School to the ...
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Holiday in Cuba – Insights – Part 1

We spent 3 weeks travelling around the western half of Cuba speaking to people, visiting shops, sightseeing and trying to ...
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Quepos Costa Rica – a lifestyle town

We arrived in Quepos after a long day of traveling. Four hours by bus from Monteverde to San Jose. Then ...
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Monteverde Costa Rica – A Special Place

We decided to take the jeep-ferry-jeep from La Fortuna to Monteverde. It is quite a short distance but over mountainous ...
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La Fortuna Costa Rica Hot Springs and Aranel Volcano

After taking an Über to the bus station we were on our way to the town of La Fortuna. Up ...
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San Jose City Costa Rica is an In and Out city

We flew from Havana to San Jose city, the capital and largest city in Costa Rica.One of the most unique ...
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Retiring in Cebu Philippines – laid back lifestyle and tropical weather

What would it be like retiring in Cebu? These were my thoughts as plane's wheels shuddered down onto the runway … ...
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Cuba Government has failed.

The Cuba government pays ridiculous and unacceptable low wages and pensions. The consequence of a completely failed political system. The people ...
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Cuba Transportation – collectivo taxi or bus

As we were a little wary of the collectivo taxis we initially used the Viazul bus service for our Cuba ...
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Cienfuegos Cuba – My Best Cuban Town

Arriving in Cienfuegos Cuba after two long, bumpy Viazul bus rides from Vinales was a pleasant eye opener. It looked ...
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Trinidad Cuba not Trinidad West Indies

We arrived in Trinidad Cuba after another bumpy ride on another very grubby Viazul bus.More...The name Trinidad Cuba conjures an ...
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Viazul Cuba Havana bus station

The Viazul Cuba bus station toilet in Havana is a disgrace … an insult to customers who are forced to ...
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Vinales Cuba – a peaceful farming valley

Vinales Cuba valley is a farming area famous for tobacco. Grown to supply the world renown Cuban cigar industry. Made ...
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The Internet in Cuba – it just exists

The internet in Cuba sucks! Accessing it as a visitor is far more frustrating and a bigger hassle than anywhere ...
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Havana Cuba – a fascinating but sad city

Much has been written about Havana Cuba. It’s unique. With a chequered past. From Hemingway to the Mafia.Today it’s old ...
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ADO Bus Travel Mexico

Travelling by ADO bus through Mexico is a pleasure. The terminus is reasonably well sign posted, the announcements can be ...
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Visa for Cuba Tourist Card – Easy or Not

If you’re from South Africa, or one of many other countries, you CANNOT get a Visa for Cuba Tourist Card ...
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Tulum Vacation is a Dream Location

Tulum Mexico is home to stunning beaches, cenotes, eco-parks and a laid back lifestyle. The cost of living is reasonable ...
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Air Travel Around the World – The Roger Effect

Our air travel around the world had recently had a few hiccups. It was compounded with Roger saying “I think ...
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Amtrak Travel Salinas to Los Angeles

Our Amtrak travel by bus and train to Los Angeles started in Monterey on a chilly but clear winter morning ...
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Amtrak – Lost and Found

As we arrived in Monterey I made a horrible discovery – my wife’s passport was missing. It had been in ...
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Amtrak Train Travel

We decided that Amtrak train travel overnight from Portland to Salinas would be a new experience. The adventure was pleasantly ...
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Our Time in Portland Oregon

We spent time in Portland Oregon to visit a son I hadn’t seen for six years. Been married for five ...
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San Francisco – A Beautiful Ugly City

After the US visa drama it was a great relief to arrive in San Francisco as planned with no delays ...
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US Visa Saga – The Ultimate Stress in Travel

Plans are made and plans go awry. Sometimes in the most unexpected way.It was one more leg of our round ...
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Luang Prabang or Louangphabang – A Peaceful Place

To wrap up our Asia trip we spent six days in Luang Prabang in Laos. It was the ideal place ...
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Siem Reap – The Home of the Massive Angkor

With our 3-day pass to the Archaeological Park of Angkor we spent just over two days exploring the extensive ruins ...
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Phnom Penh – a city still in pain

Arriving in Phnom Penh from Ho Chi Minh City we were determined to avoid the premium (rip off!) pricing of ...
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Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City or, as it was more romantically named, Saigon is an expanded version of Hanoi but somehow ...
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Hanoi – a large Asian city with soul

We stayed in the Old Quarter of Hanoi … in an area that never sleeps. We were there for a ...
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Cat Ba Island – a rugged and fun island

After leaving our Halong Bay cruise we set off on the kilometre or so walk to the jetty and catch ...
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Halong Bay Cruise – a must do Vietnam experience.

Not realising that there was such an extensive choice of Halong Bay cruise options we selected the Glory Legend Cruise ...
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Mandalay – City that Bears Little Resemblance to its Name

Mandalay has an enchanting sounding name which bears no resemblance to the city. Like most of Myanmar there is absolutely ...
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Irrawaddy Cruise from Bagan to Mandalay

We decided to take the ferry from Bagan to Mandalay. It was a good choice.Sitting in an air-conditioned cabin on ...
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Bagan – A Worthy Rival to Angkor Wat

Arriving at the out of town bus terminal in Bagan we were met by a group of taxi drivers making ...
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Myanmar Bus Trip from Yangon to Bagan

The Myanmar bus trip from Yangon to Bagan was our first long bus trip in Asia. It was also our ...
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Yangon – A Grim Example of Political Ineptitude

In our trip around the world our first stop in Myanmar was Yangon. Or as many people still call it, ...
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Visiting Malaysia

After our hectic travels in China and Japan we spent a welcome week visiting Malaysia again. Planning our future travels ...
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Travel Lessons Learned After Japan and China

We learned many travel lessons as our trip was planned and we lived it lived day to day using resources ...
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Visiting Japan a Top Bucket List Experience

Visiting Japan was an absolute pleasure. For many reasons, we were grateful we went there after China.While China is impressive ...
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My First Onsen Experience

We arrived at our ryokan in Hakone and after a walk around the village it was time to experience our ...
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A Ryokan Experience in Hakone

Our first experience of an onsen was at a traditional ryokan. Situated in the village of Hakone, a small town ...
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Nara – Home of the Friendly Deer

Nara is situated a short train ride away from Kyoto and makes for a very enjoyable day trip. Although it ...
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Kyoto – The Temple Capital of Japan

Our Kyoto experience was 4 days sightseeing and 4 days trying to master the railway system!! We missed stations and ...
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Kawasaki – A Little Tokyo

We arrived at Narita Airport in Tokyo en route to Kawasaki. Flying on a Jetstar (low cost Japanese/Australian airline) flight ...
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Nagasaki – Survived Devastation to be an Example to the World

Unaware that it was a long weekend in Japan we booked our stay to stay in Saga as we couldn’t ...
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Hiroshima – The Spiritual Centre of the Peace Movement

After activating our JR Rail Pass our first trip was the long ride from Kawasaki near Tokyo to Hiroshima. This ...
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Tokyo – Like Switzerland on Steroids

We spent a few days wandering around Tokyo experiencing a tiny part of their vast and complex railway system. It ...
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Traveling to China – Some Observations and Tips

We travelled for over 3 weeks through China. Starting in Beijing, down through Pingyao, Xian, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guilin and Yangshuo ...
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Guilin County – Home to Yangshou

We arrived in Guilin after a comfortable and enjoyable 8 hour high speed train trip from Hangzhou. Guilin as a ...
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Hong Kong – A Fascinating Vibrant City

When talking about Hong Kong … I’m biased! How can you describe it? Shabby chic? Very clean and very grubby? ...
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High Speed Train Travel in China

We thought about taking a sleeper train from Hangzhou to Guilin. A 19 to 24-hour trip across China. There would ...
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Hangzhou – Home to West Lake a World Heritage Site

We went to Hangzhou as it was recommended for its sightseeing around West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It ...
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Shanghai – A City That Retains Some Character

The road system is impressive. Ring road after ring road. Roads soaring above the city. All needed to carry the ...
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Xian – The Home of the Terracotta Army

Xian is another busy, crowded Chinese city with a large, new station far from town. Like Pingyao it is also ...
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Pingyao is a bit of charm in China

Step back in time and enjoy the charm and history with a visit to the ancient walled city of Pingyao ...
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Retire to Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur is a Likeable City

Retire to Malaysia and settle in Kuala Lumpur the city that was the first stop in our yearlong round the ...
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The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu

We decided on a tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. This also included the Ming Tombs and ...
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Year Long World Rove

The overall plan for our round the world trip is that we’ll take about a year and fly all the ...
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Beijing Sightseeing

After arriving early in the morning, checking in and sorting out our initial hassles we decided to do some sightseeing ...
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Our First Day in Beijing – Sightseeing Highlights and Rip Offs!

Beijing was the first stop in our 4 week trip through China. A city that we left 4 days later ...
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Malaysia 2017

So this is the start of a one year round the world trip. I believe it’s important to approach this ...
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Round the World Trip

The idea for our trip resulted from Roger wanting to visit Machu Pichu and me wanting to experience the lifestyle ...
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15 Reasons to Retire the Word Retirement

1. The word is confusing. With definitions as varied as “the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing ...
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Our Rove Has Started

After three and a half years living and working in Cebu in the Philippines it was time to start roving ...
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Retiring in the Philippines

"It's More Fun Retiring in the Philippines"Retiring in the Philippines is becoming the final choice of many retirees. In a ...
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Retire or Rove Offshore

To rove or retire offshore is an exciting and challenging experience ... although at times also a bit daunting, frustrating ...
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