For weeks I was agonizing about what to do with my free week between Fraser Island and Tasmania. The Little...
For as long as I can remember Machu Picchu has held the #1 spot on my travel list. Every year I end up somewhere else but there. I had barely been back a week from my six weeks in Australia and New Zealand when LAN airlines advertised a $499 RT special to Lima from LA. How could I say no?
What I knew about Tasmania was superficial: it's home to the Tassie devil and the butt of a lot of Australian jokes but has stunningly beautiful geography and wonderful, friendly people.
Tasmania has some of the most gorgeous white sand beaches I've ever seen! This place is a surprising beach paradise with some amazing food as well. Love it!
A fantastic tour of Chichen Itza, a stop at a subterranean cenote, and visit to Valladolid, a beautiful old town with a gorgeous church and violent history of Mayan battles of revolt.
Cuzco is a beautiful Unesco World Heritage site that introduces you to the fun effects altitude can have on your body. Did you know your body can stop breathing when sleeping at altitude? And Coca tea, commonly drank in Peru to combat the effects of altitude sickness, really IS cocaine in a cup. Ok, not really, but don't take a drug test after consuming it.
Fraser Island is a World Heritage site off the eastern coast of Australia and is the largest sand island in the world. It's also the only island in the world with a rainforest. The driving is adventurous, the views are stunning, the water is crystal clear, and we've already seen lots of wildlife. It's heaven on earth!
Dressed like natives we hit the local full moon ceremony where I found that jetlag, fatigue, and goat on a stick sometimes don't play well together.
Today Jo taught me the fine art of bartering and negotiation during a long day of shopping and sightseeing. Afterwards we enjoyed a hilarious stroll through the Monkey Forest and considered it a success as none of the nasty little creatures managed to hitch a ride home with us. We finished up the day with a birthday celebration for Joya!
I have always dreamed of visiting the Great Barrier Reef and snorkeling there has been on my bucket list for...
Today we packed up and left the Ubud Villa to venture to Amed, a sleepy little town on Bali's east coast that has beautiful ocean views, fabulous seafood, and a very young, hip population. We love it and already think we'll be here a while.
Armed with scooters, we toured the island, took a bunch of photos, and enjoyed cooling off by riding around during the hottest part of the day. And we also discovered that we're sharing our beach bungalow with a cute little bathroom snake!