World Travel Snap Shots

I still look back on the trip with fondness and appreciation. We lived life to the fullest, took risks, and accomplished our goals. Here are just a few of the crazy moments that still makes me smile…..

LEGO Architecture

The begining at Lego world in Orlando, FL…..the real deal is more spectacular!

Carnival in Rio de Janiero, Brasil…need I say more.  Learn more about how to prepare for Carnival.

Alex’s excitement after watching the Super bowl on Copacabana

Is this car street legal for Atlanta, GA? One of the toughest vehicles that I have ever been in. Check out a new model in action in this Unimog Video.

Free Falling over Lake Taupo, New Zealand. If you are looking for an exhilarating experience in Lake Taupo take a dive with Freefall.

Take The Zorb Experience

A little game called the ZORB experience!

TIP: If the ZORB guides ask you if you would like water in your Zorb, say yes no matter how cold it is outside.

The Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand offers a wonderful perspective on nature and gives a humbling view of the power that she possess. For tours use Fran Josef Glacier Guides.

Ice Climbing in the only indoor ice climbing facility in the Southern Hemisphere.

We are back!

Here are some pictures from our last days in Southeast Asia. Pictures from our once in a life time transportation, trying some exotic food, visiting the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumper and more

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Also, here are some pictures from our last week in Sydney, Australia before heading to New Zealand

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In New Zealand

Now we are in New Zealand . The last week in Sydney, Australia was unbelievable and pictures will come soon once we can upload pictures. While we were there we did the following: A show at the famous Sydney Opera House (thank you thank you Geru-Lu), Brunch in Bronte, checked out the Aroma Festival in the Rocks, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, tried Kangaroo, went to the zoo to see koalas, had amazing sushi, checked out Watson Bay, and much much more. Its was terrific and we have many pictures to share.

Now we are in New Zealand and had a wonderful day hiking on a volcanic island and tomorrow we are heading south of Auckland for some adventure. See everyone in two weeks. Love always!!!!

You think you know but you have no idea, True Life ” A kid Day”

Sonia and I agreed to  a kid day! This meant that we had to do things that kids would like to do. I am a firm believer in thinking young and acting young to keep the innovative wheels turning. The feeling keeps the mind and body energized!

The first item of business that we did was to rent a moto-scooter. Young or old who does not want to get behind one of these things?! We zipped around and through traffic stopping at a nearly deserted beach and then arrived at a watering hole for a grown up cocktail and a vista of aqua waters that seemed to barely cover a reef that contained a kaleidoscope of colors.

Depending on your age on kids day there is not a rule that states that you can not switch back to your real age to take advantage of big boy and girl activities.

Onward further we travelled to an eatery called the viewpoint. Two things happened. An almost complete 360 degree unobstructed view of the island and the Gulf of Thailand and the food that we ordered was cooked by a gentleman which turned out to be his first time behind a stove flipping pans! Literally there are firsts for everyone. Oh yeah, the food was pretty good.

Kids day, we thought, was over when we finished our bag of candy with its hand picked contents as well as the returning of the keys to the owner of our adopted moto-scooter. Ooohhh no no folks. Later in the evening I decided to learn how to make a pancake, island style. Yes, Mr. Shia showed me the twine of how to beat a ball of dough into a thin circle and cook it with globs of butter while carefully adding peanut butter, bananas and chocolate sauce. It was amazing to consume and even better to be taught by such a charismatic character. Pancake!!! Pancake!!! Very good Pancake!!! Best Pancake on the island!!! Is what we sang to the curious crowds that gathered to see a traveller interact with a local now iconic resident.

Thank  goodness for Kids Day!

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Splish Splash I was taking a Snorkel on a …….

Alright, aside from the partying we have done some amazing snorkeling and sightseeing throughout the islands. The water is beautiful, the views are immaculate, and there are so many fishes to see when you dip your head underwater. I must admit, I freaked out at first but the day trip in Ko Samui and Ko Tao was wonderful…take a look

Ko Samui

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Ko Tao

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The Full Moon Dance

Ko Samui, Ko Phagnan, and Ko Tao are three islands on the east coast of Thailand. We set up residence on Ko Samui for a couple of days, mainly to partake in the famous Full Moon Party. The party started a few years back when tourist would meet up and party the whole night as the full moon shined down on the white sandy beach. Over the years, thousands of people make the monthly party a stopping point on their journey.

We took the boat from Ko Samui to Ko Phagnan, which was about a 30 min boat ride. It was estimated that about 7-10 thousand people where on the beach that night. There are various DJs that play music all night, the locals sell buckets of liqueur, there are fire shows along the beach, and the party never stops. By chance we were able to find the girls and continued to party with them for a few hours. We kept partying till 6 am and then made our way back to the pier. We arrived back on Samui island in time to watch the sunrise and rested our feet for the entire day. Enjoy the party pics.

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Long Necks and Big Eared Beasts

 

It is not an illusion the ladies of the Long Neck tribe really do this to themselves. The neck does not actually elongate however the brass rings press the shoulders down making the spine seem longer. During our tour of the area Sonia turned to me and said, ” where are the men!” I wondered as well since them men do not doing anything to alter their appearance besides slapping on a pair of Addidas pants! It was interesting to see how culturally diverse Thailand is and the extremes some tribes go through for the sake of identity. None the less they all were very warming and interested in us just as much as we were in them.

The afternoon was spent balancing ourselves atop an elephant! A wonderful creature. Intelligent, kind and inspiring. We feed a baby a bundle of bananas under the watchful eye of the mama. Not to show favoritism we feed her to. The ride was lovely and humbling to experience the power and at the same time the gentleness of this remarkable creature. The ride lasted about an hour with the little one tailing along splashing in the river and and provoking her mother to play. Thank goodness the Masut, or elephant driver, was well schooled and kept everyone happy, elephants and passengers!

(Above is when Meghan Fitzgerald was picked from the crowd to challenage the elephant in darts!)

The day was marvelous and the pictures will tell. Family and friends enjoy!

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Emeril, Bobby Flay and The Gone Roaming Crew

If you can’t stand the heat then get out of the kitchen! Thai cooking 101 occurred today. A full day affair consisting of a morning tour of a local market guided by a knowledgeable lady that schooled us in the different types of curries, rice and spices.

Once we arrived at the gorgeous farm, set in the Chaing Mai countryside, we walked the grounds smelling plants of sweet basil and went bug eyed at the large Jack fruit tree.

When we returned to our cooking stations the work began. First up was pounding and grinding our curries into submission. Red, green and yellow are the typical choices. The color does not indicate the spiciness. The type of chili gives the color. We added coconut milk, brought it to a boil and added the rest of our ingredients.

Next to follow was a spicy prawn soup that we simmered while preparing a minced chicken and basil stir fry. If you have been counting that is three dishes for lunch along with our jasmine and sticky rice.

Obviously full we sipped warm lemon grass tea to promote digestion.

To finish the day off it was tofu and veggie spring rolls hand made by yours truly and pumpkin in coconut milk. Sonia made a fantastic sweet mango sticky rice desert. Beg her to make you this you will not be disappointed.

Every bit of the day was tasty and enlightening. Thank you to the culinary gods for the cookbook that the staff gave us or otherwise we would have to go by the pics! Follow the link below!

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Bangkok and Hua Hin, Thailand

Here is how we got to Bangkok

One of the guys at the front desk of our hotel in Cambodia had a friend that was able to drive us to the border town in Cambodia. Besides flying to Bangkok directly, taking a private car to the border is the next best option. For three hours we were zooming down unpaved roads, watched motorcycles with dead pigs or chickens attached to the back, and veered out of the way of cattle passing. We were tense for the entire ride and I now understand what rally racing is like! Three hours later and sweating we proceeded to the Cambodian border. With a few stamps in our passport, we continued by walking to the border town on the Thai side. After our entrance stamps we hailed a tuk-tuk that took us to the bus station in the next city. One hour later, we were on a bus to Bangkok.

Once we arrived at the Hilton, we were tired and ready to relax. Bangkok is another large city filled with sky scrapers, traffic, people, shopping and more shopping. Its definitely a city to pass through, but I don’t recommend staying for more then two days. With Love, the goneroaming crew

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The Kurious Khmer Kingdom

It is hard to describe such ancient architecture in a mixture of vowels and consonants. I will let the photographs do the pronouncing and revisit the copious amounts of facts that our ambitious guide, Akara Uk, gave us.

1. The temples were built around the 12th century.

2. The Angkors enslaved the Jama Tribe to build the edifices. The Jama were from present day Vietnam.

3. The stone used in the construction is sandstone.

4. In the Siem Reap area there are over 294 temples and a total of 1,080 in Cambodia.

5. Angkor was a palace and then turned into a Temple by Monks to protect it from being destroyed.

6. The steep steps to climb up and into a temple were designed this way to pay respect to the Gods.

7. The temple of Ta Phrom can be identified by the adaptive trees that wind through its stone walls and foundation.

8. In many places there are 54 gods on one side and 54 demons on the other. They represent the 54 provinces of the once powerful Khmer Kingdom.

9. A great amount of the statues and figures are headless. You can send your hate mail to the colonizing French and the waring Thai of past years.

10. The God called Vishnu is carved on the walls of Angkor Wat along with other figures that depict various battles.

11. Bayon temple was/is considered the center of the Khmer Kingdom.

12. Cambodia used to be called surprise surprise, Khmer!

13. It took 37 years just to build Angkor Wat.

These are just a few facts to get your interest going. Enjoy! 

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Cambodia here we come

Alex and I had a blast the past few days celebrating his 25th birthday. We roamed around Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, the Rocks, Darling Harbor, Cooge and Bondi beach. On Saturday, we walked the cliff/coastal walk from Bronte to Bondi to get a little exercise. Then, we grabbed some food at the Bondi market before we took a ferry to Manly cove. There we indulged once again in wine from Hunter Valley. Unable to get tickets to the Opera house, we had a fabulous dinner and saw a firework show over the harbor. Sunday, again we woke up early to seize the day. Exercised in the morning before we took the tram to the city. We caught the Australian soccer World Cup qualifier match, sipped cocktails while listening to a live Jazz band, and ate fresh seafood. Delicious! Now we are off to Siem Reap, Cambodia to walk through the temples of Angkor Watt

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Safe and sound in OZ

Alexander and I made it safely to Australia. With all the bad press we heard about our particular flight, it was actually very pleasant. Yesterday, we started to explore the beautiful city of Sydney and crashed around 6 pm due to jet lag. Today is a another day and we are rejuvenated and excited to explore. Love from the other side of the world

PS The FIFA conference is here in Sydney May 29th-30th…Our fingers are crossed to run into Pele!!

Cheers!

Final Days in South America

The last few days in South America were spent enjoying the warm weather and a fabulous steak dinner in Salta before heading back to Buenos Aires. In BA, we did the last min stuff and in a few minutes off to Sydney. Sleep well for us, since we will be in on a plane for 20 hours.

Cheers and Love always!!

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Iguacu from both sides, below and above!

The waterfalls of Iguacu were ravishing, sightly, stunning, knockout, lovely, pretty, gorgeous, alluring, charming, delightful, eye-catching, blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, roaring, thunderous but yet peaceful, restful, soothing and tranquil. To top it all off a dozen or so rainbows arched their way from one side to the other. Again fix yourself a beverage and escape to this natural wonder of the world.

Argentina

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VS.

Brazil

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Uruguay at a quick pace. Hold on!!!

Over the Rio de la plata and to Colonia del Sacramento we goooo. It helps if someone is whistling along with you. Sonia and I landed at night via a speedy motorized catamaran entitled the Colonia Express.

After settling into our bare essential accommodations we meandered around the cobblestone streets looking for an eatery to suppress our growling stomachs. It did not take us long to find such a place. The name has left me but the cuisine has not. Sonia consumed a bowl of yellow rice filled with seafood and veggies. Call it Uruguayan paella my friends. I thoroughly enjoyed a duo of grilled pork chops accompanied by real mashed apple sauce. Oh yeah, the chops were covered with a plum sauce thick like syrup and chunky like salsa. Hmmmmm… both of our choices hit the spot.

Moving right along we entered the city limits of the capital Montevideo. A smaller Buenos Aires it offers the same aspects of its across the river neighbor. However, it was a nice stop to relax and see a different town. The seafood market was good and the many pedestrian streets welcome you to rest those weary feet.

Our last stop on our five day coastal tour of Uruguay put us into Punto del Este. High rises and actual neighborhoods define this heavily developed resort town. Since it is the fall/winter time down here we practically had the place to ourselves! Do not worry we found plenty of things to keep ourselves busy. They include a beach side lunch, bottles of wine, a photo shoot for the boys at Esperanza in front of a giant hand and a Conrad Hilton buffet breakfast. Thank you Marcos from the bottom of our hearts.

It was one more evening in Montevideo before catching a combination bus and ferry ride back to our adopted home away from Buenos Aires. Enjoy the photographs with much love from the goneroaming crew!

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Patagonia´s pulchritudinous Lake District

With Chile behind us we traveled towards one of Argentina´s fabulous towns. This gorgeous wonder goes by the name of Bariloche. Take Swiss chalets and set them on the edge of a gigantic lake surrounded by mountain peaks. This is Bariloche ladies and gentleman.

We found that the town was quite because it was “low” season. Even though we could not ski, there was no shortage of activities to do. From the pictures you will see a gondola ride to the top of Cerro Otto peak. Saint Bernard’s greeted us upon our arrival.

Sticking with the Swiss alp theme, that is present with little touches throughout the village, we visited the chocolate museum of Bariloche. If you did not know as I did not, Bariloche contains a large variety of chocolatiers. Ranging from small mom and pops to the big boys that ship world wide. Basically we learned that one family from Italy immigrated to the region and began one shop. Differences were had and the splits started to begin one after the other. None the less the Chocolate was outstanding.

Trekking is a wonderful “low” season activity. We found ourselves one riding with a chef to pick up more trout for her restaurant in a small village outside of Bariloche called Colonia Suiza. Go figure as the chocolate, St. Bernard’s and Germanic architecture were not enough. Carolina fixed us a wonderful traditional trout dish before we made the trip to pick up more. The reason she wanted us to tag along was that she could not stand the fact the we had to wait for the bus for an hour outside her eatery. Tourist collect souvenirs, travellers collect experiences. This most certainly falls into the traveller category.

Another excursion took us to a peninsular park that contains a wild and crazy tree call the Arranyas. Nothing to write home about, like I am doing now, but still a neat walk. From this park we caught a ferry to and island called Victoria. This place has restaurant, historic homes and a wrecked chair lift. I think lightening hit it. The island we came to find out is an experimental tree farm. We realized this as we went of the beaten path and away from the small tourist groups. Again as one can see there are plenty of things to do in Bariloche besides skiing which it is predominately known for throughout the continent.

The night before we vacated Bariloche we sat down at a table of twenty or so in our hostel to a feast of 20 kilos of lamb, potatoes and salad. Prepared by our French-English friends that we had met the days before. We will never forget the time we spent in this wonderful place. Bariloche will one day be visited again by this camp and I suggest the same to anyone who is down that way. Enjoy the pictures!  

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Santiago, Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Below are our pictures from our week long vacation in Chile. Enjoy!

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We stopped at another winery before we left Chile. Thank you and cheers to Concha y Toro for producing great wines.

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LAKE TITICACA

Again this is long overdue but below are some fabulous pictures from our trip to Lake Titicaca. As clever as the name may be, we quickly found out that  it means¨stone panther¨. I am sticking to Lake  Titicaca or Bobbie poop!

It was an amazing experience with Gralyn. We were blessed to have had the opportunity to explore the Floating Islands, Taquila Island, local cuisine (aka Alpaca), drinks, and most of all, terrific company! Puno is worth a visit if you are in the region.  Let us know if you would like any travel trips.

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Love, hugs and kisses

Would you like to take a stroll through time? Inca time that is.

Damas y Caballeros welcome to Machu Picchu! It is a majority of the time a cliche to say that a picture is worth a thousand words. With the following photographs you will see that they indeed are valued at way more than a thousand words. Please fix yourself a drink of your choice, make sure that you expand your viewing window on your monitor and enjoy!

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In dedication to all of the success of Esperanza Clothing Inc http://www.esperanza-atl.com/splashpage.asp

Completos, famous or infamous?

One word, Completo. The definition is a hot dog covered in mayonnaise, guacamole, and with your own hand smothered with various condiments. Gralyn get excited as we all know about your love affair with toppings.

I was craving one of the famous street vendor snacks almost as much as the local folk do. While Sonia consumed an empanada I tackled the completo head on! Or tail? Hmmm… It did not take long to finish the cheap and filling treat. A couple of bites was all that it took as I reapplied a spicy Chilean ketchup sauce to every new edible attempt. Before I knew it my South American frank footer was gone and all that remained was a little neon blue cradle that holds the completo while at rest.

Would I try for two as my brain and stomach fought it out for a sensible solution. The answer that was formulated appealed to everyone. A split between the two stomachs of the gone roaming crew!

The waiter brought another undressed dog to Sonia. The only things covering the completo were guacamole, mayo and a kickass relish. She zig-zagged ketchup, mustard, and picante sauce down the middle and with a big bite she experienced the jubilation that I had felt just moments before! Half to her and half to me as our hearts began to quiver. We were happy that the event was over.

Hebrew Nationals look out! Completos need not answer to any higher authority but themselves.