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Day 1 – May 10th Friday
Our journey to Punta Cana DR 🇩🇴 was quite an adventure. We started with a smooth two-hour drive 🚙 to Raleigh airport, arriving at our gate well ahead of schedule. However, our flight ✈️was delayed first by 30⏱️ minutes, then an hour ⏱️, and eventually two hours ⏱️. This caused us to miss our connecting flight from Miami to Punta Cana (PUJ) airport, with the next available flight not until the following day 📆.
Opting for a gamble 🎲, we decided to fly ✈️into Santo Domingo and drive 2.5 hours to Punta Cana instead. Unfortunately, even that flight was delayed. It wasn’t until 10 pm that we finally touched down in the Dominican Republic🇩🇴. With a rental car initially in our plans, we opted for the convenience of a taxi 🚕 upon arrival. We didn’t reach our resort until 1am, ending our journey after a series of delays and slept like rocks 🪨 after being awake since 4am 😴.
Day 2 – May 11th Saturday
Our morning began with what we thought would be a simple breakfast and a resort tour, only to find ourselves caught up in a time-share scam 🤦. My advice to you: always crunch the numbers. Despite the unexpected turn, breakfast offered a satisfying buffet, and I couldn’t resist the delicious plantains and green banana mash. The fruit selection was exceptional.
After breakfast, we made our way to the beach 🏝️, where we spent the day playing in the ocean, soaking up the sun ☀️, and grabbing a quick barbecue snack. Lunchtime found us back at the buffet, where I savored tacos 🌮 and Amanda indulged in a strawberry 🍓 marshmallow. We then lounged in hammocks, leading to a much-needed nap to recharge our batteries.
Later, we explored the resort, discovering five more swimming pools, a gym 💪, and encountering parrots 🦜 and iguanas 🦎 along the way. Dinner took us to the Indian restaurant, where the chickpea salad, butter chicken, and malai kofta were culinary highlights. We capped off the evening with a ride on the commuter train 🚂 to a sports bar and ended up purchasing $22 gold-plated mosquito repellent before calling it a night.
Day 3 – May 12th Sunday
We kicked off our day with a delicious breakfast buffet , where the huevos rancheros 🍳 stole the show. Amanda couldn’t get enough of the refreshing watermelon 🍉 juice and the crispy fried queso.
After getting our shower’s hot water fixed (it was nonstop scalding 🔥), we joined Antonio for a rejuvenating 30-minute stretching class 🙆. Then we made our way to the “secret” pool) which, although not truly secret, offered a serene atmosphere without any kids and we met new friends from Indianapolis.
Post-pool 🏊relaxation led us to lunch, where Amanda savored a custom pasta dish 🍝. Later in the evening, we ventured to La Adelita for Mexican influenced dinner – great appetizer bar but entrees were a little overcooked. Relaxed in our room watching a Netflix movie titled “Anyone but You” and then caught a mesmerizing circus show 🤸♀️.
Day 4 – May 13 Monday
Today was another day of food and relaxation. At the breakfast buffet, I decided to give the mini corn dogs 🌽🌭 a try, and to my surprise, they were quite tasty 😋 . We then joined another stretching 🧘session, although today’s instructor brought a whole new level of intensity 🔝. After some laps and relaxation at the pool 🏊 , we tried Poseidon 🔱for lunch, where I indulged in some papaya 🥭 and fresh fruit before taking a much-needed nap 😴.
In the afternoon, we participated in a cooking class whichever unfortunately turned out to be a bit lackluster, resembling more of a history lesson on mufungo 🍌🥓than an actual culinary experience. However, we pushed through and then readied ourselves for our reservation at Sumptuori 🇯🇵. Dinner was a delicious meal of steak 🥩 , chicken 🍗 , shrimp 🍤 , and salmon 🍣 tepanyaki, distinct from hibachi. To cap off the evening, we caught a charming play featuring kids acting out Disney stories and songs 🎤, providing a delightful end to the day.
Day 5 – Tuesday, May 14
We started our day with a trip to the buffet. Each day, I get more and more excited about the huevos rancheros 🍳. Then we headed to the beach to play in the waves 🌊 and relax in the shade 🌴.
For lunch, we went to a food truck 🛻 and had hotdogs 🌭, chicken tacos 🌮 , and French fries 🍟 and enjoyed it all poolside 🏊 . Then we walked back to the pool next to our room for another soak. After a full afternoon in the water, it was time for a nap 😴 before dinner.
For dinner, we had Thai 🇹🇭 food from Bamboo🎋. The sushi 🍣 bar was great, but the chicken pad Thai 🍜was quite interesting with its thin noodles and bland sauce. We finished off the day with a refreshing walk around the resort and took a picture 📸 of a large tree 🌳 .
Day 6 – Wednesday May 15
Today I woke up early for a three-mile run 🏃around the resort🌴. It was nice but very humid💦. I spotted a ferret 🦦 on my path, which was a happy surprise 😲 . On our way to breakfast, I felt a warm hit on my hand and looked down to see something red. I thought I was bleeding 🩸, but fortunately, it was just bird droppings 🦜💩. For breakfast at Behique, I had delicious huevos rancheros 🍳 .
Then we played 18 holes 🏌️. The greens were lush despite the rough areas and abundant foliage 🪴. The sand pits 🏝️were plentiful. It was amazing to have the entire course to ourselves, and it was shaded. I really enjoy miniature golf ⛳️🤣.
Afterwards, we headed to the pool 🏊 for some swimming and napping 😴 .
For dinner, we had reservations at the steakhouse, El Dorado. It was okay; I had the New York strip 🥩and Amanda had the chicken 🍗.
At 21:00, we went to burlesque 👯 BINGO. It was really just bingo with music 🎶 . We had a good time, although we didn’t win at bingo. However, I did win a mug ☕️ and a hat 🧢 as a seat 💺 prize. It was a fun evening.
Day 7 – Thursday, May 16
Awoke in paradise, knowing it was our last full day. We started with breakfast, where the watermelon 🍉was especially sweet today. Then it was off to the beach 🏖️for some waves 🌊 , napping 😴 , and swimming 🏊 . Since it was the last day, I made sure to fit in some stretching 🙆 . It was tough but exhilarating. Afterward, we headed back to the pool 🏊 .
For lunch, I enjoyed Al Pastor—pork 🥓 and pineapple 🍍 on a rotisserie, similar to Shawarma. It was delicious.
Then we returned to the beach 🏖️ .
Our last dinner in the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 took us back to our first restaurant, Bhogali, for Indian food 🇮🇳. We had chickpea salad, biryani, and sweet and sour ribs .
Finally, it was time to pack up.
Day 8 – Friday, May 17
Our last day at the Grand Palladium Resort in Punta Cana🇩🇴. We woke up early to watch the sunrise🌅 at the beach 🏖️ —a highly recommended experience. To avoid mosquitoes 🦟 and sand fleas, we waded into the water. After the sunrise, we packed our bags 💼 , cleaned our room, and left a special tip for housekeeping 🧺.
We enjoyed one last buffet breakfast with delicious fruit 🥭 and then caught the shuttle 🚐to Punta Cana Airport (PUJ) ✈️. Unfortunately we got separated from dad early since our airlines were in different terminals. Our first flight ✈️to Miami, Florida (MIA) was on time, as was our connection to Raleigh, North Carolina. We ended the trip with a visit to Amanda’s brother’s house for some pizza 🍕and to dog-sit 🐾 Sookie and her brother Cooper. A perfect ending to a wonderful adventure.
Rhine river 3rd Anniversary
Rhine River Day 1-2: We embarked on a two-hour drive 🚙 to Raleigh, making only a pit stop at Bojangles for lunch 🍗. Our journey began with a short flight ✈️ from Raleigh to Charlotte, then the 8h flight ✈️ from Charlotte to London. The final stretch of our travel took us to Switzerland 🇨🇭. Upon our arrival, Viking Tours greeted us at the airport and chauffeured us to the Hyperion Hotel, where our room awaited. To our pleasant surprise, just across the street, a vibrant fall fair was in full swing. Intrigued, we explored the fair and indulged in some delicious food, savoring beef wraps 🌮 and bratwurst 🌭. Later, we treated ourselves to a mouthwatering chicken ratatouille dinner. As the day wore on, jet lag began to catch up with us, and we wearily made our way back to our rooms to rest.
Rhine River Day 3: Our day began with a delightful breakfast buffet featuring a wide array of pastries, fresh fruits, and assorted meats. Following this, we embarked on a guided tour of Basel, Switzerland. We commenced the tour with a scenic tram ride 🚃, explored historic churches ⛪, strolled through the bustling marketplace, and delved into the city’s rich history and culture. For lunch, we savored a stop at Brasserie Baselstab, where Amanda indulged in porcini risotto 🍚and I enjoyed some delicious ribs🍖. After this satisfying meal, we walked to Spalen Gate 🚪 and then headed to the zoo, where we had an enjoyable time with a memorable animal encounter despite a bit of rain 🌧️ . Returning on the tram, we decided to make a dinner stop at the carnival, concluding our day with a taste of fair delights.
Rhine River Day 4: Kicked off our anniversary with a delightful breakfast buffet, the same as the previous day. Next, we hopped on transit 🚃number 10 to Merian Garten. On our way to the park, we spotted ducks 🦆and a massive dinosaur 🦕 . We then explored scarecrows, flowers, orchards, and gardens, before returning to the marketplace. We visited a 7-floor mall (Coop), had dumpling ramen 🍜 for lunch, picked up some Swiss chocolates 🍫 , and I even tried a local McDonald’s burger 🍔 and fries 🍟 , noticing the absence of the typical American chemicals. In the afternoon, we took the bus to our Viking Cruise ship 🛳️ , Njord, and walked to the Dreiländereck statue, where Switzerland 🇨🇭, France 🇫🇷 , and Germany 🇩🇪 converge. We wrapped up the day with a delicious dinner, enjoying steak and veal, and indulged in plum tarts and key lime pie 🥧 for dessert. Lastly, we went on a pumpkin hunt to see all the silly carvings around the ship surrounded in candy 🍭. Happy Halloween 🎃!
Wednesday Nov 1st 2023
Rhine River Day 5: Awoke early for an icy hot 🚿- temperature fluctuates a lot when there are so many showering at the same time! Then had a breakfast buffet on the boat before catching a scenic bus ride 🚌 to the Black Forest 🌲🌲🌲. We watched the giant cuckoo clock 🕰️ declare the hour and embarked on a short hike to a little waterfall💧. Back in the forest cillage, we explored the glass maker shop 🔮 and cuckoo workshop 🕰️. Next was a lesson in making the Black Forest Cake 🍰. On the way back to the ship, Amanda won candy 🍬 for getting the most quiz questions right. For lunch we had penne 🍝 and an energy bowl followed by floating island (pistachio meringue) and chocolate sundae. Refreshed, we explored the city of Breisach by foot, visiting the only open store, an interesting art machine, and beautiful cathedral. After a brief nap 😴 , dinner was phenomenal, consisting of herb crusted pork tenderloin and spicy bean chili for dinner with black forest cake and ice cream for dessert. We finished off the night watching the water sink and lower the boat in the lock for the next segment of the river 🏞️.
Thursday Nov 2 2023
Rhine River Day 6: Following our cruise buffet breakfast🥓🍳, we embarked on a tour of Strasbourg Island, a place where the Rhine River splits and reconnects, formerly a network of canals. We marveled at the captivating architecture, featuring half-timbered buildings, observed the functioning of mechanical bridges 🌉, and visited the Notre Dame Cathedral ⛪️. The video captures the striking church clock chiming on the hour 🕰️ – showing the various stages of life passing death 💀. After our tour, we indulged in a delightful lunch: Amanda opted for potato pancakes 🥞, while I savored sauerkraut paired with four different meats 🥩, along with a taste of flammkuchen (pizza). Subsequently, we explored the local shops, took a spin on the merry-go-round 🎠, and picked up some souvenirs. We also delved into the history of lederhosen and learned the art of making flammkuchen 🍕under the guidance of Chef Martin. To cap off the day, we relished a Taste of Germany sampler for dinner, featuring roast pork, sausage, sauerkraut, red sausage, fried chicken, and delectable German pancakes with plum jam for dessert.
Friday Nov 3 2023
Rhine River Day 7: We embarked on a walking tour of Speyer, delving into the intriguing history of Emperor Konrad 👑and his three excommunications from the church ⛪️, all while taking in the grandeur of Speyer Cathedral. Our path then led us through the bustling market square🛍️, where Amanda found an adorable pink knitted cap 🧢. Later, we regrouped with our tour guide and hopped on a bus 🚌 for the return journey to our ship, passing the technical museum (topped with a plane ✈️ ) en route. As we set sail for Worms, Germany 🇩🇪 , we enjoyed a satisfying lunch on board: Amanda opted for Rigatoni pasta 🍝 , while I savored a classic cheeseburger 🍔 . Post-lunch, we unwound with a quick nap and a movie 🍿 . Upon our arrival in Worms, we disembarked, and Amanda had a delightful encounter with a friendly (Hund) dog 🐶 before we strolled through the market, exploring various shops, taking photographs 🤳, and learning a lesson in not touching the souvenirs. While making our way back to the ship, we couldn’t resist the temptation of indulging in spaghetti ice cream 🍨 . Our appetites remained undiminished, and we relished Spundekäs as an appetizer, followed by a delectable main course of steak 🥩 and eggplant 🍆 for dinner. The sweet conclusion to our day included apple tart 🍎and matcha cake 🎂 for dessert. Before retiring for the night, we were treated to a captivating live glassblowing 🔥demonstration, and we acquired a wealth of knowledge about quartz crystal 💎.
Saturday Nov 4 2023
Rhine River day 8: Today was unique as our tour was conducted right on our ship. We indulged in some extra sleep, enjoyed a leisurely late breakfast, and had the pleasure of witnessing the breathtaking sights of twenty-one castles 🏰 lining the Rhine as we journeyed towards Koblenz. Following this scenic tour, it was time for lunch, where we both started with the creamy broccoli 🥦soup as an appetizer. Amanda relished the cannelloni 🍝, while I opted for the ribs 🍖, and we wrapped up with a delightful banana 🍌 split for dessert. Our next adventure was a guided tour of the city of Koblenz, despite the chilly 🥶 , windy 🌬️ , and rainy ☔️weather. We explored several remarkable landmarks, including the National Kaiser Wilhelm Monument, glass chameleon, Giant Thumb 👍 , Koblenz history statue, Lady Hygiea ⚕️, and the mischievous Schängel, also known as the spitting boy ⛲️. Post-tour, we walked around in the mall and market stores 🛍️ before returning to our ship 🚢 . For dinner, Amanda savored a delightful pumpkin 🎃 soup, followed by spinach and mushroom ravioli, and a delightful carrot cake for dessert. As for me, I began with a vegetable 🥕 tart, enjoyed a Chateaubriand for the main course, and concluded the meal with a refreshing serving of fresh fruit 🍉.
Sunday Nov 5th 2023
Rhine River day 9: Today’s adventure in Cologne began with Amanda enjoying the buffet, while I opted for banana pancakes 🥞 and an omelette 🍳 for breakfast. We then hopped on the tour 🚌 , which took us to the heart of the city in just 5 minutes. We learned about the city’s Roman origins, marked by copper plates, and proceeded to visit the magnificent Cologne Cathedral ⛪️, even during a church service. Afterwards, we returned to the ship for lunch, with Amanda choosing spaghetti carbonara 🍝, and I opted for Rubin sandwich. Post-lunch, we explored the zoo, where we marveled at meerkats, flamingos, 🦩, sheep 🐑, bears 🐻, sloths 🦥, monkeys 🐒, and anteaters. However, the highlight was undoubtedly the comically small and adorable baby elephant 🐘. In the evening, we returned for dinner, both starting with bell pepper soup. Amanda had risotto and raspberry sorbet for dessert, while I enjoyed the prime rib followed by a lava cake. But the night wasn’t over yet; we had a fantastic time playing Music 🎼 Trivia and thoroughly enjoyed making fools of ourselves with the dances 💃🕺.
Monday Nov 6th 2023
Rhine River day 10: Following breakfast 🍳, we had an insightful tour of the wheelhouse ☸️ led by Captain Bartozs 🦇. After the tour, we spent our cruise time reading 📖 and watching movies 🍿 until lunch. Then it was time for Kinderdijk . In the Netherlands, where a significant portion of the land is below sea level 🌊, they undertook the ambitious task of reclaiming land from the marshlands. The iconic windmills function as pumps, transferring water 💧 to reservoirs. During low tide, the reservoir gates are opened to release the water. We also learned about the traditional wooden shoes 👞 , known as clogs. Once they were worn out, these wooden shoes were repurposed as firewood 🔥. We concluded our last day of the cruise with a delicious dinner featuring stuffed portobello mushrooms 🍄 and steak 🥩.
Tuesday Nov 7th 2023
Rhine River day 11: Started the day with blueberry pancakes 🥞 for breakfast, followed by an Amsterdam canal tour 🚤, immersing ourselves in architecture, history, and boat life. Explored the vibrant market, indulging in a chicken 🍗 bao bun and discovering unique fruits 🍒, veggies, and souvenirs. A stroll in Vondelpark 🅿️revealed ducks 🦆, rats 🐀 , and even parrots 🦜. Later, enjoyed a margarita pizza 🍕 and baked treats 🍪at a pizzeria. Post-Amsterdam, we were shuttled 🚌to The Hague, visited the Peace Palace 🏰, and settled into our hotel. Wrapped up the day with a flavorful Indian 🇮🇳dinner featuring dosas, aloo, gobi, parathas, and paneer. Finished the night with a walk through the Royal Shopping street.
Wednesday Nov 8th 2023
Rhine River day 12: Netherlands 🇳🇱Indulged in a hotel breakfast buffet, embarked on a walking tour exploring the King’s Palace 🏰, the opulent Hotel de Indes, and various churches ⛪️, delving into politics and the royal family. For lunch, we enjoyed snacks – nachos for me and shrimp 🍤 for Amanda. Explored the streets some more, stopping 🛍️ to savor a brownie snack. After a rejuvenating nap 😴, we dined at an Italian restaurant, relishing delightful pasta 🍝 before venturing out for an evening stroll in the city lights 🚨.
Explored the shopping district, followed by a stroll to savor an edible brownie. After a rejuvenating nap, we dined at an Italian restaurant, relishing delightful pasta before venturing to the red light district via Uber with Amanda.
Thursday Nov 9th 2023
Rhine River day 13:
Dessert Tompouce
Lunch: hotdog, pappardelle al ragú
Cream of broccoli soup
Vash = cow (french)
Ice wine?
Photo Album
Day 30 & 31: We embarked on our trip back to Sydney🇦🇺. Packed up and stopped for breakfast at Frank’s Eatery where we both “created our own plates” of delicious breakfast options. A short delay in Auckland 🇳🇿gave us time to grab ramen 🍜and wonton 🥟soup for lunch. The next morning our flight back to LAX was delayed 3h so we walked down the street to The Pour Barista for a burger 🍔, big breakky, and vanilla chai Frappuccino ☕️. The flight ✈️back was smooth and we were picked up by Steve for lunch and fun with dogs 🐕!
Day 29: Drove 🚙 from Te Anau to Queenstown and took some amazing pictures 📷. We stopped again for some out of this world boysenberry ice cream 🍦with crushed raspberries. At Queenstown, we stopped at town center for shopping and a late lunch. I finally found a new jacket 🧥 that checked all the boxes. For our late lunch we had Indian 🇮🇳 – savory dosas and chicken tikka with aloo paratha. After lunch we walked the Queenstown Gardens, seeing roses 🌹, nut trees 🌳, and hot rod jet boats 🚤.
Day 28: Today we took the Milford Sound Cruise 🚢! After the 90 minute drive through spectacular scenery, forest, and plains, we arrived. We boarded the ship for a three hour tour, where we saw waterfalls, dolphins 🐬, seals 🦭, and made our way to the Tasman Sea. On the way back we stopped at an underwater observatory where we descended 10m to see fish, black coral (actually white), and leaned how the glaciers made the Milford Sounds (which are actually fjord). Then we drove the 90 minutes back stopping at every scenic view for a picture or a hike. We stop for dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Paradiso. Amanda had the Four Corners pizza (ham, artichoke, olive, mushroom), and I had the Hawaiian.
Day 27: Today we took the Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise 🚢! When we arrived in the morning, we grabbed a cheese 🧀 scone, banana 🍌 and dark chocolate 🍫 muffin, and chai latte while waiting for boat launch. We had a smooth cruise along the lake to bus tour 🚍through the forest 🌲. On the bus, we passed spay valley spotting a clear tree avalanche aftermath, an example of why they call it “catastrophe forest”. At a 670m elevation we stopped at a lookout for a peek at the fiord we would be cruising, though with with cloudy ☁️ days being more often than not, today was no exception. Finally we boarded the final boat 🛥️ for a 3h windy and wet, yet glorious cruise through the fiord to open water, passing 100s of waterfalls. We were surprised to hear that out of all the falls, only 5 or so are there without rain. When we reached open water, we stopped to watch the seals 🦭 sunning ☀️ and splashing 💦 about. On the way back, the captain pulled up close and personal to a couple of the larger falls. Back on land, we made our way to the Fat Duck for a burger 🍔 and pumpkin 🎃 gnocchi.
Day 26: Caught a morning flight ✈️ to New Zealand’s South Island 🏝️. We arrived at Queenstown and made the scenic drive to Te Anau. Along the way, we stopped at Devils Staircase Lookout Point, Mataura River Bridge, Te Anau Lions Lookout Point. Once in Te Anau, we explored the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary in the rain, finding the brown teal duck 🦆, paradise shelducks, parakeets 🦜, and 4 takahē. We checked into our AirBnB before heading over to Ditto for Vietnamese fries 🍟 and spicy tuna sushi bowl takeaway for eating in front of Te Anau Lake as we watched the (cloudy) sunset. 🌅 Still hungry, we swung by Thai Anau for chicken satay and spring rolls.
Day 25: Started our day off at Zealandia, an amazing animal sanctuary, which used to be a hydroelectric 💧⚡️damn. This sanctuary was surrounded by a predator fence to keep out cats 🐈, dogs 🐕, opossums, and other critters 🐀. We hiked Zealandia to the damn and back and saw takahēs, saddlebacks, robins, and kakas 🦜. We joined a talk on the takahē pair, who are in their 20s and 2 of less than 500 in the world. For lunch we stopped at Huxley’s for an aged beef burger 🍔, Mac and cheese bites, and a “take it cheesy on me” pizza 🍕. After lunch Amanda and I went to Wellington Botanic Garden to see the roses 🌹, green house, and succulent garden 🌵. Our last walk for the day was through Otari-Wilton’s Bush park.
Day 24: Dropped off the rental car 🚗 and caught a flight ✈️ to Wellington, New Zealand 🇳🇿. At the airport was a life size Gandalf flying on a Great Eagle 🦅. Our first stop was lunch at Sweet Mother’s Kitchen. Amanda had the gumbo and I had the eggplant & artichoke muffuletta with curly fries. Afterwards we drove the coastline from Oriental Bay to Red Rocks – Pariwhero. At Red Rocks we hiked the trail along to coast to see the fur seals 🦭. Then we checked into our Airbnb and searched for a local dinner, we stumbled across “Hell” pizza 🍕 restaurant. Amanda had the Spirit (chicken, bacon, mushroom pasta, in a garlic parmesan cream sauce) and I had the Double Trouble pizza (chicken, bacon, pineapple, olives). And for dessert, Unearthly pizza (blueberry, banana, custard).
Day 23: Decided to take the day easy and leisurely explore the town. Checked out a small Saturday market in the park, strolled the Government Gardens, and explored the Community Art studio 🎨. We continued walking down the city streets looking at the small trinket shops and had pork dumplings 🥟, bok choy 🥬, and a scallion pancake at Spring Festival Dumplings. We then headed back for a siesta 💤 and laundry 🧺. Finished off the night with Wendy’s and catching John Wick 4 in theater 🎥🍿.
Day 22: Today we explored Rotorua geothermal attractions. Out first stop was Wiaotapu park. Where were saw the 10:15 am Lady Knox Geyser ⛲️. Then we hiked around the volcanic lake. It was very interesting but stank of Sulfur 😷. After Wiaotapu we stopped for lunch at House of Spice for some chicken tika tandoori, Malai kofta, and garlic naan 🫓. After lunch we went to Hells gate. Hells gate is another geothermal attraction and it too stunk. But after this hike we enjoyed a mud bath and a soak 🛁 in the sulphur spas. It was definitely interesting.
Day 21: Departed Otorohanga early for the drive down to Hobbiton for a tour of the famous movie set. Walked up and down the paths past 30+ hobbit homes, ending the tour with a refreshing drink and lemon curd 🍋 blueberry 🫐 muffin in Green Dragon Inn 🐉. Then we headed to Agrodome for a farm tour and show. On the tour, we fed sheep 🐑, Huacaya alpacas 🦙 (very soft), saw some cows and a kiwi fruit 🥝 orchard. For lunch, Amanda had chicken and chips (covered with gravy) and I had a reuben. Then we enjoyed the ram 🐏 show, discussing 19 different breeds, and learned the process of sheering a sheep, how dogs herd, and milking a cow 🐄🥛. Lastly we wandered 3.55 miles (5.71 km) in the Whakarewarewa Redwoods Forest.
Day 20: Stopped at Autobahn Cafe for their “most popular” breakfast 🍳 and a cappuccino ☕️. Continued our drive south to Hamilton Zoo where we got to watch the feeding of the ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, porcupines (including a baby!), and meerkats. Enjoyed an almond croissant 🥐 on our way to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We had a hilarious Maori guide walk us through the caves, explaining their discovery, ownership battles, the various formations inside, the life cycle of glow worms 🌟 🐛, and their feed lines. He then took us on a silent boat tour 🛶 through a blackout portion of the cave where you could see all the glowworms’ blue twinkles like a starry night 🌌. Afterward, we made our way to the Thirsty Weta Bar & Eatery for fettuccine alfredo and surf & turf 🥩🦐. Fun fact, as we were driving through the countryside we passed so many cows 🐄 we wondered if there were more cows than people in NZ and it turns out there are!
Day 19: Spent a wonderful morning walking around the many gardens and galleries of Sculptureum. We learned about the art of garden designs, read inspiring quotes, saw sculptures of every material type, and talked to colorful birds. Our planned west coast hikes were closed due to recent cyclone damage, but we were delighted with our stroll through the rolling hills and rocky beaches of Tawharanui Regional Park, a predator free animal sanctuary. Made our way to Takatu Point Lookout passing so many takahē 🐦 and cows 🐮. We also finished an audiobook in the Andy Carpenter series 📚 and started another along our drive. For dinner we stopped at BurgerFuel, a car inspired burger franchise. I got the Ford freakout burger 🍔 and Amanda got the chicken 🍗 bacon Backfire, with a side of Kumara fries 🍟 and chicken nugget Choppers. Finally arrived at our AirBnB after a couple wrong turns in the dark and also walking into a house without being sure it was the right one 😅
Day 18: First stop was Sheepworld where we got to feed sheep 🐑, chickens 🐓, ducks 🦆, alpacas 🦙, goats 🐐, pigs 🐖, ostriches 🪶, and deer 🦌. Note pigs can have painful bites 😿while ostriches and ducks are light pinches. We had chicken tikka and paneer tikka masala with butter naan at Butter Chicken Box. We then visited Brick Bay Sculpture trail for a hike fusing audio-visual art and nature 🌿. Got takeout from St Pierre’s Sushi including veggie tempura and chicken katsu bowls 🍚 with miso soup and seaweed salad. Lastly, we made our way to our farm stay AirBnB, complete with chicken 🐓, sheep 🐑, Mukhtar (dog) 🐕, and an orchard of olive 🫒, macadamia nut 🌰, and feijioa trees.
Day 17: Joined the Auckland Explorer Bus for a 1h tour of the city in the morning. Hopped off for a loaded breakfast croissant 🥐 and cappuccino before heading to Weta Workshop. We had a 1.5h guided tour through 3 films 🎥 currently in production at different stages: Fauna (80s horror) in props and costume stage, Age of the Ever-Clan (fantasy) in design concept stage, and Origins (sci-fi) in special effects stage. Walked across the street for a lift to the 51st and 60th floors of the Auckland Sky Tower for sweeping views of the city 🏙️. Then hopped back on the tour bus for a ride to the Auckland Domain (park) where we wandered the Victorian Wintergardens with bountiful begonias 🌸. Took the bus to our final stop at the Auckland Art Gallery for a peekpeek at New Zealand creations. Got back to our car for a scenic pass along Tamaki Drive, stopping at Bastion Point and Mission Bay Beach 🏝️. Our final stop was at Ragtag, a 100% non-authentic restaurant, for a rich 3-cheese 2-mushroom quesadilla 🧀 🍄 and smoky lamb tahini tacos 🌮.
Day 16: Slept in and enjoyed chicken and waffles with a chai latte at Fika with me. Fika means “a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life”, a good reminder for our honeymoon 💕. We visited Butterfly Creek where we learned about the cotton top tamarins 🐒, watched the crocodile 🐊 feeding, and saw the giant wetapunga 🦗up close. Then went to
Auckland Botanic Gardens which was wet, but the staff provided us wit umbrellas ☔️. At the garden we saw editable plants 🌱, native and endangered species, beautiful roses🌹, and blooming camellias 🌸 . The last stop was Thai Isaan Restaurant where we enjoyed chicken pad Thai, beef flat noodles, and mango sorbet sticky rice 🥭🍚 .
Day 15: Last day in Australia and now we head to New Zealand. We woke up early, drove back to Cairns to return our rental. 623/km2.2=283 miles inn four days The caught our three flights to New Zealand; Cairns -> Brisbane -> Sydney -> Auckland (NZ). There was a time change and it was 1:30am by the time we picked up our rental and headed to our AirBnB. Long day!
Day 14: Enjoyed brekky 🍳🥓while watching the neighboring cows mosey about. Made our way to Australian Platypus Cafe where we talked and watched ducks 🦆 for an hour but didn’t quite spot an elusive platypus, though we did give some scratches to the farm piggies 🐷. Tried but aborted the drive to MacKenzie Falls when we came up to a large puddle we couldn’t tell the depth of and realized we had no signal 🆘and hadn’t seen a car in ages. Stopped off at Mt Hypipamee Crater and the multi-tiered Dinner Falls, with a friendly greeting from a blue bellied snake 🐍 . We then made our way through a eucalyptus forest to Halls Falls before checking in at our AirBnB. at our AirBnB. We played with the doggos until our 5pm Tolga Bat 🦇 Hospital tour. It was amazing, and we learned a lot. Then called it an early night.
Day 13: Started our day with an early morning stroll along Etty Bay Beach 🏝 to see cassowaries. No sighting at the beautiful beach, but we lucked out seeing one on the way back to our AirBnB, along with about 20 Roos 🦘. We had a great morning chat with our host Terry over PBJs and rambutans. Then we were off to a rainy 🌧 tour of Paronella Park. José Paronella built this garden castle after making his fortune💰 in sugar cane plantations. His estate had start of the art technology for the 1930s (30-50 years before the rest of the country): water powered electric generator ⚡️, movie theater 📽, ice cream freezers 🍦, and electric lights 💡to name a few. Concluded the t castle your with a scone, jam and cream. After the Mena Creek falls we drove the hour to our AirBnB and had killer Pesto and BBQ chicken pizza 🍕 for dinner.
Day 12: I thought this day would start off on the right foot, boy was I wrong. I was laying in a hammock and the metal holding it together broke so I fell 😵💫. As we left Yungaburra, we drove through the regal rolling hills of Atherton Tablelands, stopping at the Curtain Fig National Park and Milla Milla Falls. The next two falls, Zillie and Ellinjaa, we did proper, in the pouring rain 🌧️. Couldn’t get signal or find Mungalli Falls so we took a scenic drive (semi road, requiring getting out to move a large fallen branch ) and avoided Nandroya Falls like the plague given a review warning of leeches. Started and quickly aborted the walk to Tchupala Falls when we saw leeches on our shoes and instead paid for a lovely leech-free stroll through Mamu Tropical Skywalk. Then we headed to our AirBnB which was a cozy farm stay with limes, rambutan, and jackfruit . Went out for pizza 🍕 and fettuccini carbonara at Roscoes Piazza and spent the rest of the night chatting with our host, Terry, who also gave a taste of Vegemite.
PSA: Leeches are blood 🩸 feeding parasitic worm 🪱 . The North East Australian jungle are full of them and the rain 🌧️ brings them out. When they attach 🦶they inject a anticoagulant which makes blood flow easier for them to feed. Unlike popular beliefs, it’s better to scrape them off with a credit card 💳 , and not use salt 🧂 or fire 🔥. They don’t hurt, but the second day the area might itch. They stick to everything, and they leave a bloody mess.
Day 11: Made a spontaneous decision to try out a wake boarding 🏄♂️ adventure we saw from the sky rail yesterday – what a blast! Stopped off in Gordonvale for lunch at Coco’s Sushi 🍱. Snaked our way through and above the clouds along the 263 turns of Gillies Range. Stopped at Eacham lake. Then the FUN really started on our Windin Falls hike. Starting out with faulty information, our supposed 2h round trip hike took 2h to get to the falls, stopping many times to battle leeches 🤢. Since it had recently rained, there was a lot of mud and some challenging spots for avoiding walking through ankle deep puddles . And since we started at 3:45, it was a race to return before 6:07 sunset 🌅, a race we ultimately lost with the last 30min or more being in the dark. The plus side of night hikes is you certainly see more wildlife including giant toads 🐸, small roos 🦘, and bats 🦇. Thank goodness for phone flashlights or we might have missed the 5ft python 🐍 crossing the trail just ahead of us! Then we finished the night by checking into our airbnb and cleaning our wounds.
Day 10: Today Amanda and I visited Kuranda. Our driver Peter picked us up and drove us to the Kuranda Scenic Railway 🚂. The rail was built in 1891 for miners, marking an incredible engineering feat with 55 bridges and 15 tunnels, all done without any machinery! Once at the top, we fought the crowd of tourists to Birdworld where we met so many pretty birds 🦜, and one left a present 💩 on my shirt 😂. Then we went to Koala Gardens to see all manor of reptiles 🐍 and nocturnal animals 🦘🐨. Afterward, we meandered along the Jumrum Creek walk for 45 minutes of beautiful views and massive spiders 🕷️. At the end of the hike we arrived at the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway for our return off the mountain, stopping at Barron Falls and Red Peak. The views from the top of the rain forest were breathtaking. We regrouped with Peter and back to the hotel. For dinner we stopped again at Jimmy’s for their tasty burgers 🍔 and shakes.
Day 9: Kicked off Amanda’s 30th Birthday 🎂 with a sunrise breakfast at Muddy’s Cafe. Then we met Steve, our tour bus 🚌 guide, for a drive through palm cove and along the beautiful coastal shoreline to Flagstaff Hill. Then we were on our way to Mossman Gorge for Daintree tea ☕️ and dampar with wadel seed with jam and cream. After exploring the gorge, we made our way to the Daintree Teahouse for a lesson on fruit 🥭over lunch: barramundi meuniere 🐟 , Kangaroo steak 🥩 , and an assortment of fruit. Slipped down the hill for a cruise along the Daintree River, spotting a crocodile 🐊 and kingfisher 🐦 in the mangroves. Took the car ferry across the river, seeing a baby croc sun bathing! We then rode through the Daintree National Park to Walu Wugirriga (Alexandria Lookout) then kulki cape (Cape Tribulation), where forest meets reef 🪸 . Our guide made a quick stop at Dubuji Myall to show us fan palms that are 100s of years olds as well as strangling fig trees and raphidorpha vines (pre-dates dinosaurs). Next was Betty’s Floravilla for exquisite homemade dragonfruit ice cream 🍦. Lastly we stopped at Rex Lookout on the return to Cairns. Celebrated Amanda’s birthday at Villa Romana with pizza 🍕 , gnocchi 🍝 , and tiramisu and got a surprise upgrade at the hotel (AC broke).
African oil palms
Sapote – Spanish fruit like avacado potato
Saramaya – custard apple
Day 8: Hopped on a tour bus to the harbor for a ride on the Reef Explorer with Captain Mac to see the Great Barrier Reef! Snorkeled and dove 🤿 at our first stop along the barrier, full of very vibrant fish and plants 🐠🪸. Enjoyed a BBQ lunch with roasted veggies and noodles. At our second stop we took the marine biology snorkeling tour and learned about clown fish , moorish idols, batfish, stressed coral, and sea cucumbers. Explored on our own again, with Amanda free diving to get close to the huge rainbow fish and batfish, until we got called back for a return to the shore. We walked to Bombay Kitchen for a delightful dinner of pani puri, chicken tikka masala, malai kofta, and aloo stuffed paratha.
Bombay; After a long day of diving the Great Barrier Reef, this restaurant hit the spot. Their staff was super friendly, and the chef came to each table. The facility was clean and welcoming. The food was the best Indian food my wife and I have had outside of India. The pani puri, chicken tikka masala, malai kofta, and aloo stuffed paratha were superb. Highly recommend!
Day 7: Awoke early to drop off the rental and catch a flight to Cairns (pronounced “cans”). After checking in Cairns, we walked around the area, found some delicious burgers and shakes and strolled back along the beach. We took the day easy to recover from our nonstop adventures in Sydney and be ready for diving the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow!
Day 6: Best day ever!! Amanda and I signed up to be zoo keepers for a day at the Taronga Zoo. We shadowed Lesly, a veteran zoo keeper and animal expert. Lesly introduces us to Mary the sun bear, she also wrote a children’s book about (URL). Next, we fed and cleaned up after Ikumdo the African Bongo. Then we visited the Aldabra tortoises, Lancelot, a 70-year-old male, and his 105-year-old female roommate Esmeralda. They love carrots 🥕. We had a quick cappuccino ☕️ and snack break, before meeting Ben, who introduced us to Murphy a California seal 🦭 and told us about working with seals and pelicans. Next, we intruded on the elephant 🐘 bath time, but they gave us arm kisses 💋. At noon it was time to feed the chimpanzees 🐒 lunch, they love tomatoes 🍅. Then it was time for our lunch and a little one-on-one time with Gibson the bilby, Finn the echnida, and Ollie the padamellon. Next, it was snack time for the Red kangaroos 🦘 , who is very soft and love sweet potatoes. Concluding our work day we learned about the endangered corroboree frogs 🐸 and the repopulation effort. Lastly, we wandered the couple of exhibits we didn’t make it to as keepers to find a lyrebird, cassowary, and quokka. To top off the day we got dinner from Betty’s Burgers 🍔.
Notes
…bridge, trex hand
Food to try
Bunnings – sausage sizzle
Tim tam slam
Lamingtons
Meat pie
Day 5: Today marked 9 wonderful years of being together ❤️ We celebrated with animals, gardens, and beautiful views. Our day started with the WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, a nontraditional zoo in the heart of the city. We saw lots of native creatures and even got a koala bear 🐨 close up. We popped next door for a quick walk through of Madame Tussaud’s Wax museum, where I pondered with Einstein and Amanda danced with a unicorn 🦄 and biked with ET. The next stop was the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium where we meandered through spectacular water tunnels and froze on a boat ride through the penguin habitat 🐧. We then strolled through the Chinese Garden of Friendship, intricately modeled after the classic private gardens of the Ming dynasty 🐉. The last attraction was Sydney Tower Eye a 250m high 360 view of the city, which we felt impressively familiar with thanks to the hop-on hop-off bus earlier in the week. For dinner we drove to Crows Nest and found an amazing taco restaurant, El Gringos Tacos 🌮. The best part and happy accident was Taco Tuesday prices!
Day 4: Watched sunrise from the patio while being serenaded by the local birds 🦜. Then we packed up and drove to Blue Mountains, along the way stopping for a breakfast bacon 🥓 cheese 🧀 roll and hike snacks. Beginning at Wentworth Falls Picnic area, we made our way down the Wentworth Falls trail, stopping off at Jamison, Princes, and Fletcher Lookouts. Then we followed the trail around the cliff edges and down endless stairs to the base of Queens Cascades. Unfortunately the path forward from there was closed off so we had to backtrack all the way back up! We then followed Undercliff Track, stopping off at Den Fanella, Breakfast Point, and Lyrebird Lookouts before making the steep descent to Empress Falls. After the long hike back up, we drove to Lincoln’s rock, a terrifying optical illusion of a cliffs edge 🧗. Then we drove to Blue Mountain National Park to wander Euroka campground in search of the elusive nocturnal kangaroos, however we did see kookaburras, magpies, and noisy miners. We visited the many lookouts in and around the park, including Tunnel View, Portal, Chalmers, and Ross. Then we made our way back home for pizza 🍕 and creamy linguine pasta 🍝 at Mandali’s, followed by a ricotta cheesecake 🍰 and pistachio biscuit from Organica. All in all, we hiked 🥾 12.2 miles, including 136 flights of stairs (or 2176 stairs)!
Day 3: Got up early for a drive to the Australian Botanic Gardens, where we wandered the beautiful and windy 🌬️ scenery for 3 hours. Along one of the paths, we spotted our first wild kangaroos 🦘! Refueled with a brunch burrito and garden salad before moving on to the Royal National Park. We stopped at Sublime Point Lookout, Maddens Falls, National Falls, and Upper Falls. We then made our way to Wattamola Beach and marveled at the stunning views along Royal Coast Track. Our last stop was at Bungoona Lookout and then we made our way back to enjoy garlic naan, chicken 65, and a masala dosa on the patio. We walked 10.3 (16.6 km) miles today and decided to soak in the spa pool 🏊♀️ and sauna 🧖♂️ before calling it a night.
Day 2: Started the day with a dip in the pool and sauna before making an egg sandwich and heading into the city. Joined the hop-on hop-off Sydney bus 🚌 tour at Barangaroo and rode the full city loop before getting off at Circular Quay. We took in the views of the harbour, followed some Australian white ibises, and walked to the Royal Botanic Garden, where we saw many neat plant sculptures, palace rose 🌹 garden, fernery, and cactus garden. We then continued our walk to St Mary’s Cathedral and Hyde Park before seeing our first shark 🦈 and catching the Bondi bus tour. Hopped off at the Australian Museum to check out the spectacular birds, dinosaurs 🦕, minerals, and unique animals of Australia 🦘. We then took the bus to an up close view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge before returning to our car and AirBnB. For dinner we had a California roll, eggplant sushi burrito, and miso soup 🍱.
walked 7.3 mi
Day 1: Landed in LAX and had a delicious dinner with Stephen Parsons and 5 delightful dogs🐶. Returned to the LAX madhouse. The 14h flight went quicker than we thought, especially for leaving on a Wednesday and arriving on Friday. Customs was quick and easy. We took a selfie with the 🐣Easter theme Sydney sign and then hopped on 2 buses for rental car pick up. Drove over to Cremorne Point for a leisurely walk to see the Robertsons Point Lighthouse, beautiful vegetation, and so many brush turkeys🦃! We then checked into our AirBnB with a gorgeous view and walked around the neighborhood for lunch at Fang Dumpling House and picked up groceries. We took the rest of the day easy to overcome jet lag, exploring the apartment complex and relaxing on the patio with singsong birds and a brief thunderstorm⛈️.
Day 1 in Puerto Rico
Amanda and I are vacationing in Puerto Rico🇵🇷. We took a noon flight to San Juan, picked up our red KIA. Then made our way to Walmart, for some much needed supplies we couldn’t smuggle onto a plane, like sunscreen and bug spray. We checked into our AirBnB, made two new friends; Alejandro and Mordy (handsome dog). Followed by a walk down town and had Chicken and waffles at a Food Truck park.
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Saturday April 30th – Day 2
7am Breakfast
9 am drive (1h) to El Yunque
9am Hike
Angelito Trail. Puente Roto. El Toro Trail. Waterfalls and rivers on Road 186 in Rio Grande. Rio Sabana Recreation area on the south side of El Yunque. El Hippie. Las Pailas. Charco Frio
12pm Lunch (continue hike) Turkey Ava code garlic sandwiches
Drive to Ceiba 32 minutes
?? Over night parking $12 for 24 hours Website https://bityl.co/Bziu location https://goo.gl/maps/jWVWDts9CGUW7bt29
5:30PM 7:30 Ferry CEIBA to VIEQUES
Vieques AirBnB – Trade Winds Room 9 Esperanza https://bityl.co/BuPI
Meet up with Collette at voodoo Mar Azul had a pain killers, had a drunk drive to Esperanza.
Black beards sports
Day 2 in Puerto Rico
We awoke to a torrential down pour 🌧. We started by driving an hour to El Yunque National Forrest🌴. Our first hike was Angelito Trail where we played in the river. Then we stopped at Puento Roto viewpoint and continued on to the visitor center, where I found the most delicious banana (pictured). Then we drove along 186, passing Cascada Rio Espiritu Santo and Boulder Falls on the way to El Torro trail. We didn’t quite make it all the way up as it kept getting muddier and muddier so the way back was a slip and slide. Lastly we visited Charco El Hippie Waterfall and drove around Las Tinajas river. We caught the Ceiba ferry to Vieques and were greeted by our amazing friend, Collette, her lovely dog Leenda, and delicious Pain Killers! To conclude the night we took a night tour of the bioluminescence bay – incredible starry ✨water (picture borrowed from online).
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Sunday May 1st – Day 3
9 am Breakfast
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. To the beach. Fish and wildlife $25 per person
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/puerto-rico/east-region/cerro-playuela-trails–2?ref=result-card&u=i
Publico.
Lunch
Taxi pickup by 4pm
5:30PM Ferry VIEQUES to CEIBA Confirmation Number: 7063622
Drive to Maunabo 48 minutes
Maunabo AirBnB
Dinner
CALL RUBEN ORTIZ at 787-436-0006 Esperanza to
Day 3 in Puerto Rico (Vieques)
Started the day with brunch at trade windows – I don’t know how they do it but they really know how to doctor a skirt steak. Then picked up Leenda and headed to the beaches: Sun Bay Beach, Media Luna Beach, Navio Beach, Puerto Mosquito, Puerto Ferro lighthouse, Playa Caracas (red beach), Black Sand Beach. For lunch I thoroughly enjoyed Mofungo but was utterly disappointed with the carne frita.Thanks again Collette for the grand tour of the island 🏝
Then we took the ferry back to main island, and drove to Maunabo to meetup with Jose and family.
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Monday May 2nd – Day 4
Day with Jose
Maunabo AirBnB
Day 4 in Puerto Rico (Maunabo)
Early Monday morning Jose went out and got some fresh bread 🥖from the local bakery for a delicious ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches. Afterwards we enjoyed his family’s garden and ate/drank coconuts 🥥from the tree. Then we made our way to the park coast for some fun at the Faro de Maunabo lighthouse and beach and then Playa Mario. Once we were full of sand, saltwater, and sun 🌞 it was time for lunch. Went back to Jose’s to refresh, enjoy more of the garden, and play dominos. For dinner we had amazing homemade Pastilla (purée vegetables stuff with pork steamed in a banana leaf).
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Tuesday May 3rd – Day 5
7am Breakfast
8am Drive (2h) to Guanica
10am hike
Lunch
Dinner
Guanica AirBnB
AirBnB: Casa Amber | Puerto Rico La casita
Day 5
Jose once again made us a delightful breakfast – hotdogs, fresh guava juice, and eggs. Then we departed and drove to Ponce where we stopped by the museum of art, which was only partially open due to the earthquake a couple years ago. We swung by Parque de Bombas (former fire station) on our way to the Guánica’s dry forest. We hiked a short loop trail to a gorgeous viewpoint. Lastly we went to our AirBnB high in the mountains and were awed by how relaxing and tranquil it was – we didn’t even bother to leave for dinner and instead had some canned gumbo. While eating dinner, we befriended a cool lizard (pictured). We also explored the area behind the house to see the little stream.
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Wednesday May 4th – Day 6
7am Breakfast
8am Drive (2h) to Cavernas del Rio Camuy
Hike
Lunch
Dinner
AirBnB: VSS Amazing House: https://goo.gl/maps/xdRBQzK47d6TGs97A 18°28’14.0″N 66°43’04.9″W
Super windy mountain roads to 128 then 432 to 431 to 128 to 111 to 129 on the way to Camuy
Day 6 in Puerto Rico
Toured Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy, walked through Clara Cave. Saw a tree growing upside down, various rock formations, some bats, and cave spiders (tailless whips scorpions). Enjoyed street vendor Pinchos🍖 (meat on a stick), for lunch. Then checked into our Arecibo airbnb for a siesta. Afterward, walked along the beach and rocks near the Arecibo Lighthouse and played with hermit crabs. We crossed to the other side to walk out on a pier where a group cast a live fish via a drone🎣 trying to catch swordfish. Passed a movie theater and decided to stop and watched The Bad Guys – it was a really fun movie🍿!
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Thursday May 5th – Day 7
6am Breakfast
6:30 Drive (30min) to Rancho Julia Rosa Eco Tour
—arrive 7:30am-$65pp. https://fbook.cc/3sTu
Lunch
Dinner
Airbnb: Mi Casita PR-611 Sector La Sanche K4 H 1, Utuado 00641
Day 7 in Puerto Rico
Aside from visiting friends, today was certainly the highlight of our trip so far! Woke up at 5:30 to travel again into the mountains for a 6h adventure with Rancho Julia Rosa Eco Tours – highly recommend! The guides pointed out all the dangerous plants 🪴 and led us through Cueva Toño, floating through a tunnel cave with many bats 🦇, over a suspension bridge and jumping off into Tanama river. When we got back to the site, a delicious home cooked chicken and potato stew with rice and veggies. We topped off the adventure with a refreshing coconut limber (fresh juice iced) and then got lost trying to find our airbnb in Utuando. After an exhausting day we cleaned up, and relaxed, I did go to the market for steaks 🥩and eggs🥚! And Amanda made a new friend.
Caguana Ceremonial Indigenous Heritage Center
Coconut limbers icee
Latitude: 18.290666 / N 18° 17′ 26.397”
Longitude: -66.687488 / W 66° 41′ 14.955”
Econo supermarket
18.290666, -66.687488
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Friday May 6th – Day 8
7am Breakfast
8am Drive (30min) to Rio Abajo Forest
Lunch
Dinner
AirBnB: Large Garden Apartment with Mountain Views
Day 8 in Puerto Rico
We were greeted early by Peggy, the smallest and friendliest doggo🐕. Over breakfast we decided to take all the locals’ advice and visit the west coast instead of going on another forest/cave hike. We started by driving 2 hours to the renowned lighthouse in Cabo Rojo, during which we got pulled over for going 15 over but were thankfully pardoned 🚔 and also had to swerve to miss running iguanas 🦎. The cliffs and sea 🌊 around the lighthouse were absolutely stunning! We then passed by the salt 🧂 flats (the outlook and pier were unfortunately closed) and stopped for lunch at Tacos and Flowers 🌮🌸 , where we ordered chicken and shrimp 🍤 tacos with chips and guacamole. Then we continued up the coast to El Último Brinco (waterfall) in Ricón, El Avion (abandoned plane) in Aguadilla, and Great North Park and Beach in Hatillo. After our adventure, we headed to our Airbnb in Ciales, whose host is a rock climber 🧗♀️ . We ended the night with dinner at Don Carlos.
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Saturday May 7th – Day 9
Breakfast
8am Drive (1.5h) to Tres Picachos
Drive to San Juan (2hr)
Lunch
Bacardi Mixology
Dinner
San Juan AirBnB Miraflores Room 2
Return car
Day 9 in Puerto Rico
Took an easy day exploring Barceloneta – the outlets and Paseo de las Alas (wing murals)🦋. We stopped for lunch at Poco Loco in Vega Baja where we tried 6 different tacos 🌮 plus fried cheesecake! Once back in San Juan, we wandered the city visiting shops and eventually made our way to our airbnb🪴. Once checked in, we returned the Red Kia Rio and for our 9 day trip around the island we drove 600 miles! Then we took an Uber to the Food Truck park where this adventure started, and had dumplings and more tacos🌮 for dinner 😂. A great conclusion to an amazing time in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷.
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Sunday May 8th – Day 10
Shuttle to airport
Flight home
(2023) Build-A-Brain: A Practical Guide To Brain Health by Tom Cryptogram and co-author S James Parsons Jr |
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Pennsylvania's Best Emerging Poets (2017) "Rainbow" |
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Drexel Maya Literary Magazine (2017) "Viking Rage" "Pie" 1st Place Haiku-Off winner - Truth "Type of Walls" 3rd Place Haiku Off winner - The Wall "ICE" 3rd place winner Rhyme On - Ice "A new year" 3rd place winner Rhyme On - Resolutions |
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Drexel Maya Literary Magazine (2016) "Evening Stroll" "Vinyl Skin" "Octopus Bath" |
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Drexel Maya Literary Magazine (2015) "It’s Dark" "SPK" Haiku on Regrets |
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Drexel Maya Literary Magazie (2014) "Hook deep piercing lung" |
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Coastal Carolina Community College (2013) "Twinkle twinkle giant gaseous planets" |
Paleo Cook Book | |
Desserts Cook Book | |
Rich Dick Khronicles: A rewrite of Poor Richards Almanac by Ben Franklin | |
Mega Man Blue Steel: The adventures of the real Mega-Man who inspired the Capcom game. | |
Monsters and Mentors: (auto-biography) Monsters, Mentors and Memories | |
A Boy and hist Robot: Puppy. (2017 - Current) The story of Mada raised by a robot named Puppy. |
Alex in Whyoming (2002 - Not Complete) A rewrite of Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carrol |
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Red Apples (2000) Fantasy about Sam, Samantha, and Samuel fighting Nogard. |
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the Butcher (1999) The sins, life, and death of the butcher. The adolescent in me trying his hand at writing |
Current outlining the code for Cellerator. See more here.. https://github.com/celleleven/cellerator
Day 1: Arrived at Bangalore airport around 12:30am and made our way through e-visa review/customs. We were then greeted by Ash and Shreesha! Met Ramish, a driver for Shreesha’s family – dropped Ash off and got to Shreesha’s around 3am. Went to sleep and woke up to the bustling city around 6:45 and luckily fell back asleep until 11. Met Chinmayi and went out for delicious breakfast at XXX – plain dosa, masala dosa, k-something-bath (sweet and spicy versions), vada (in yogurt), rava idli. Went back to the house with Shreesha and set up the phone with SIM card. Ramish then drove us around Bangalore, showing us Abidjan’s Soudha (Bangalore Parliament) and then dropping us off to explore Bangalore Palace and gardens. We then rode around and walked through Ulsoor Lake. Later that night, walked down Brigade street with Shreesha, tried Wow momos (dumplings) and ate at Empire – chicken dosa and Empire Paratha with Paneer Gravy.
Day 2: Jet-lag was terrible, woke up at 3am. Started with a 7am morning walk at Cubbon Park, walked passed High Court, then ate at Hotel Chalukya. Came home then off to Tipu Sultan’s Palace and Bangalore Central Market (Krishna Rajendra) to see the wholesale flower and food merchants. For lunch went to Nagar for south India buffet on a banana leaf. Headed home for some R&R, then off again to Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Later went out in an auto-rickshaw for dinner at a traditional Chinese restaurant. Came home for the last time and the rain rocked us to sleep!
Day 3: Woke up today at 5am and Amanda woke up at 8am. We are getting acclimatized! Had breakfast at an air conditioned restaurant Udupi Park, boy was it cold. Came home and drove 1.5 hours to Nandi Hills. Nandi Hills are full of Monkeys (one eating ice cream!), micro-frogs, interesting insects, beautiful scenery, and awesome locals. For lunch we went to Indian Paratha Company for paneer paratha. Clumsy me spilled the chutney all over, but we did make a friends with a cat. Stopped for a coconut and a night walk through the park. Then finished off the day with leftovers, custard apple, fried tapioca pears that tasted like buttered popcorn, and Laddu (sugar and ground sesame seeds, tasted like the inside of a butter finger).
Day 4: Finally over jet-lag! Woke up at 7:30am. Shreesha’s Mother, Getha, made us rice poori and fresh coconut-peanut curry for breakfast. After, Shreesha’s Sister, Chinmayi, invited us to family day at her work, Goldman Sachs. What an amazing party, there were games, a tour, concert, and amazing lunch. Lunch was buffet style from all over India and the world, with a dessert bar that was out of this world! After family day we went shopping at Pothys – 7 floors of dazzling clothing and ceiling fixtures. For dinner we went to an upscale Italian restaurant, Chianti, where I had Neapolitan pizza and Amanda had Eggplant Raviolis. For dessert we had tiramisu!
Day 5: Went to Malleshwaram for breakfast Dosas at CTR, then enjoyed tender coconut water and figs from a street vendor. Wandered down Commercial street for shopping and tailoring. Then we had a night on the town with Aishwarya! First was Tipsy Bull (buy drinks via stock exchange), out for some street Momo’s, then 1131 bar. Went out again for some Pav bhaji, then to Toit for some local craft beers and Fried Macaroni Balls, and finally home to pack for our flight to Delhi and backpacking back south!
Day 6: Woke up early for a flight to New Delhi. We arrived at 11:30 and were greeted by our driver and guide with with fresh flower lays. First stop Sunder Nursery – beautiful and vast garden with peacocks, unique architecture and sculptures, plus waterways. Left there to drive around the city and see the capital buildings and India gate. We then surprised our tour guide by requesting to see yet another park, Lodhi Gardens! He was concerned because he felt he wasn’t doing his job, i.e. showing us monuments and shopping. Finally made it to our quaint Airbnb which was walking distance to a couple street vendors where we found delicious momos, fruit and bread.
Day 7:
Met with Shu for an incredible breakfast at Haldiram’s! Shu went all out, trying to fatten us up with an assortment of street food – our favorites were pani puri (a crisp that you punch a hole in to fill with goodies) and Raj kachori (tastes like sweet and savory nachos). Stopped by a bazaar to learn about handmade rugs and see various other textiles and handicrafts. We then visited the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple, an immaculate temple that took 300 million man hours to carve. Cameras were not allowed inside, so sharing a photo from their website. Took an indoor boat tour through an exhibit highlighting life style and innovations over the years. Lastly, embarked on the 4 hour drive to Agra.
Day 8: Left our Airbnb around 6am to walk to the Taj Mahal! We entered via the East Gate and were entranced by the perspective changes as the sun rose and we got closer. We caught an electric tuktuk ride back for a mix of local and homemade goods for breakfast. We then wandered through the Agra Fort, a sandstone and marble fortress and palace. Next was the Mehtab Bagh, a garden across the river from the Taj Mahal. Our last stops in Agra were to see local art in progress – gorgeous stone inlays and elaborate embroidery. On our way to Jaipur, we stopped at the Chand Baori, a 13 story step well mirrored across 3 adjacent walls. Finally arrived in Jaipur around 8pm. Our Airbnb had walls covered in artwork from prior guests.
Day 9: Enjoyed homemade parathas and chai for breakfast on the sun deck of our Airbnb. Drove around Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, seeing Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace) and various shops before the rest of the city woke up. Hiked through the mountains to Galta Ji, or Monkey Temple! Lastly, we stopped by Jaipur City Palace before making the 8 hour journey to Udaipur. Made it to our Airbnb at 8pm and were amazed by the artistic design of the home and various art mediums displayed everywhere! Learned that their family has 4 generations of artists, some architecture (designed their home), some sculptors, some oil painters. We had a delightful dinner with the whole family and can’t wait to see the house in the morning light!
Day 10: Awoke in an art museum, and made egg and cheese sandwiches in our attached mini kitchen. Our AirBnB host gave us the grand tour of their environmentally friendly artist estate. Then off to Animal Aid Unlimited sanctuary (https://animalaidunlimited.org). We volunteered in the morning to help animals in need. Massaged handicapped dogs, bottle fed calfs, brushed sheep, and helped re-splint the legs of two cows. Took a quick tour of Udaipur, saw the lake palace. Lastly, made our way to Ahmedabad through a million detours.
AirBnB: Charul and Akash it was a pleasure staying in your art gallery. What a treat to have amazing company, great food, mental and visual stimulation.
To make our stay smoother here are some recommendations. First, the google pin was perfect, but sending a picture of the front, or having a landmark outside your entrance would better identify your home. Next, the bed has a huge width but a small length, I had to sleep at an angle or my feet hung off. Also, the kitchen was fantastic, but navigating was a little challenging, I couldn’t find the salt and pepper, I found the salt after cooking breakfast and exploring the kitchen and looking in the metal spice dish. Maybe labeling would help. I know India doesn’t use trash bags and I feel weird throwing wet garbage (eggs, food, and broken sponge) into the wet trash. When was cleaning the dishes the sink soap was unfamiliar to me, but reading the directions helped.
Lastly, the shower. It took some time but I believe I figure it out the plumbing. I dont know what the two knobs do. And I didn’t know what the three unlabeled bottles where, soap-shampoo-lotion?
It was truly a pleasure to stay in your art studio and home – what amazing company, conversation, and food!
Here are a couple recommendations for improving future stays:
-The google pin was perfect, but sending a photo or having a landmark at the entrance would make it easier to identify your home, especially at night.
-Let guests know that bed is 6’ – likely won’t affect most!
-Kitchen was fantastic, but navigating was a little challenging. James didn’t find salt and pepper until cleaning the dishes, after cooking and eating.
-When cleaning the dishes, the sink soap was unfamiliar to me, but reading the directions helped.
-Add labels for the bottles in the bathroom to identify which is soap/shampoo/etc.
Animal Aid
Tour
A: Dog Therapy, bottle fed calf’s, remixes ticks from paralyzed dog.
J: clean farm animal pin with rake, lifted cow with straps, brushed sheep, bottle fed calf’s, held down cows head while leg-splint was changed. Messages dog with broken back.
Day 11: Had another great homemade breakfast before heading to Dinosaur Park! Strolled through the rest of the park to see the botanical gardens and zoo. Tried and failed to see Frozen 2 – in Hindi, but no subtitles 😢 Went to our Airbnb early to get some rest before waking up at 2 for our flight to Mumbai, where we’ll hang out with Rahul!
Day 12: Up at 2:13am for a 6:30am flight to Mumbai. Said goodbye to our driver, and Ahmedabad. TSA Xray machine ate my sunglasses. Once we landed in Mumbai, we got an UBER rickshaw to Bandra Fort. Then met up with Rahul and Dev to see the Haji Ali mosque. Afterwards we took a ferry to Elephanta Caves. Once back on the mainland had lunch at Leopold Café for some Indian fusion penne pasta and spaghetti sandwiches. Then drove three hours to Pune. Washed off the road dust and checked out Hight Spirts bar – enjoyed savory butter chicken pizza.
Flight to Mumbai
Bandra fort and suspension bridge
Elephanta Café
Leonard Café spaghetti sandwich
Drive to Pune
Day 13: Time to relax in Pune… solved the newspaper puzzles, ate, and went shopping. For lunch we had amazing homemade keema biriyani (mutton rice) with peas and roti. Then went to the department store for wedding kurtas (Indian shirt). Followed by the jewelry bazaar, where Amanda purchased some beautiful pieces. Stopped by street venders for some figs, sugar cane, and spicy alma (gooseberry). Then off to the shoe district, and Amanda got some purple wedges for the wedding. Made our way to the “Dragon” mall – explored a supermarket, toy store, clothing store, had snacks at the food court, and played a throwing game at the arcade. Back home for a late dinner of momos and pav bhaji (bread with vegetables).
Great song: Boom boom goes my heart – Alex Swings Oscar Sings!
Day 14: I made Breakfast for everyone this morning, we had egg, cheese, and bacon sandwiches. Then off to the jungle – Tahini Ghats via Mulshi, saw the countryside and lake. Snacked on vada pav (potato burger). On the way back had masala paneer with fresh butter chicken for lunch. Then off to Hippy@heart bar and restaurant. Afterwards had chaat (street food) at Kalyan Bhel – we had pani puri, vegetable grilled cheese sandwich, and SPDP. Then off to High Spirits for Indian Idol. Rahul’s friend Erica sang ‘I feel good’ by Avril Lavigne, she has a magical voice!
Day 15: Awoke, had breakfast and hiked Fergusson hills with Rahul. Headed back, got changed and went shopping at Central (department store). Amanda got some kurtis and flowy pants. Then we picked up our luggage and had lunch at Vaishali. Had the tastiest cheese dosa, and Uttapa (cheese, tomato, onion, dosa pizza). Then off to the airport, passed through India’s Air Force security – a military airport that opened to citizen flights but is closed every Saturday. Our north western trip was over and we returned to Bangalore, time for the wedding! Joined the bachelor’s party at Byg Brewsky for amazing food, drinks and entertainment.
Day 16: Shreesha’s mom made rice puri for breakfast. We walked to the tailor to get the wedding attire adjusted, and get a delicious mango lassi. Rode the moped back home for dosa classes with Shreesha’s mom! The women split to the Mehendi party for henna designs (Amanda got her signature dinosaur!), dancing, great food, and making amazing new friends. While they were out, we went shopping for dhotis and waist coats. Once all together again, we watched dancing videos and ordered momos.
Thanksgiving isn’t even over and the Christmas stores are open for business. Note they were not there last week, second they don’t have Thanksgiving 😂
Day 17: Savored homemade breakfast with the family, including eggs, idli, spiced chips, and rice. We all packed our bags for the wedding festivities, then the girls went out for jewelry while the guys went for haircuts (massage included!). Went out for a group lunch starting with mushroom 65 and lemon chicken followed by 5 amazing biryanis – lollipop chicken, special chicken, boneless chicken, egg, and prawns. Finally made our way to the Lemon Tree Hotel, got dressed and then off to the Tamarind Tree for the ring ceremony and cocktail reception/dance party! Photos can’t even capture the elegance and spice ❤️
Day 18: Made it to the hotel at 1:30am after the dance party and luckily received a wake up call from the hotel 7 hours later. Quickly dressed, grabbed some complimentary breakfast and left for Haldi, a ceremony where Haldi (turmeric) is applied to the bride and groom for health and beauty. Went back to the hotel to change and returned for 3 additional ceremonies. First was Sera Bandhi, where the groom and groom’s male relatives/friends tie turbans. Then Baraat, the groom’s procession on horse, preceded by family and friends dancing and launching fireworks. Lastly was Sangeeth, where dances are performed by relatives and friends, plus an amazing dance by Ash and Suryanshu themselves!
Day 19: Up early again for breakfast and preparing for the wedding day 3. James wore a waistcoat, kurta (shirt), and dhoti (wrap pants). I had a professional drape my saree, and got help from friends for adorning jewelry. We packed our luggage and headed out for the final wedding ceremony. Unfortunately we missed the first ceremony, but we got to see clothes get blessed by married women which the bride then changed into. This was followed by Kanyadaanam, where the father gives away the bride to the groom. Saptapadi came next with the couple walking around a sacred fire of prayer, each of the 7 circles as part of a vow. Then there were pictures, so many pictures! For lunch we had traditional South Indian Andra Style meal on a banana leaf. A small group got together to surprise Chin with cake for her birthday. Finally got back home, packed for our South India trip, and ordered takeout: chicken momos, veg rice, wontons, and prawn noodles.
Edit suggestions: 1. Between the kanyadaan and saptapadi was the most important part of the wedding where Shu tied a mangalsutra around Ash’s neck. That’s when they are officially married. 2. Make it South Indian Tamil Style meal. Andhra was what you had at that restaurant called Nagarjuna. Ash’s family is from Tamil Nadu
Day 20: Awoke from a terrible night, I’ve concluded my Malaria medicine is trying to kill me 😢. We had rice stuffed dosas with cucumber slices and fresh watermelon juice. Met our driver Francis and embarked on our sigh India trip, starting off with Mysore. We stopped at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, took a boat and saw some crocodiles. Then to Brindavan Gardens which also has a beautiful water damn. Afterward saw St. Philomena’s Cathedral church and had lunch in a cave, it was a decorated hotel restaurant called Gufha. Walked around Mysore palace, was too late to enter, but met an elephant trainer.
Day 21: Enjoyed homemade dosas and chai at our Mysuru AirBnB and left for the 440+ km journey to Alleppey Backwaters. On our way we drove through Bandipur and Mudumalai National Parks, passing from the state of Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. Along these parks we spotted deer, peacocks, monkeys, and even an elephant! Later on, we drove up and around Queen Mountain in Ooty. We kept going up until not only our ears popped, but also all the water bottles in the car. Passed through breathtaking views of rolling hills and tea plantations, a major filming area amongst a forest of Eucalyptus trees. Stopped for paneer dosa, pani puri, and grilled vegetable sandwich in the main hub of Ooty. On our way back down we drove through thick blankets of clouds, forming practically a white wall off the mountainside. Imagine trying to drive with only a couple feet of visibility plus passing semis and buses in the short stretches between hairpin turns! Finally made it to our homestay around 10:30 and relaxed for a while in our private patio swings.
Day 22: Our auto-rickshaw picked us up at 7am and took us to our canoe guide’s house. Once there we befriended Billy, the golden lab, and had coconut-rice pancakes (dosa wraps) and an omelette for breakfast. Then we rode through narrow canals and open channels in a spectacular 4 hour canoe ride. Some call Alleppey Backwaters the Venice of India. After the ride, the guide’s brother greeted us with a sweet orange drink, then came the feast: fried chicken, vegetables, beet dressing, rice, green beans, and poori. Took the auto rickshaw back. Picked up our bags and headed to Mannur, first making a quick stop to try both young and mature coconut water. The trip was lush and covered with tea plantations, and the road snaked through the mountains. Stopped for dinner at Alibaba and the 41 Dishes for mutton biryani and butter chicken. Lastly, made it to our homestay, Wild Mist by Monktree, greeted by the family.
Day 23: Had eggs, fruit, toast, and juice for breakfast on our patio with a breathtaking view. After checking out, we hiked the local mountain. Then we drove to Eravikulam National Park. We bought an entry ticket, bus pass up part of the mountain, and spiced popcorn. At the top we saw 3 Tahr (endangered goat). Amanda and I hiked to the top of the mountain and the view was great – fauna and flora, pus mountains and clouds in all directions. Then we drove to Kodaikanal. The trip was full of wild animals and waterfalls. We stopped for dinner at a Tibetan restaurant for some noodles and momos. Lastly the home stay happened, long story short… it was terrible.
First the homestay was on a very narrow road, which our personal driver had a difficult time transversing. There was what seemed to be a commotion on the alley, and people yelling. The room was cold. The furniture was worn and abused. Everything was damp, but that’s mostly because it’s a mountain village with constant moisture and rains. No WiFi and no cell service (airtel). Dirty sheets, no towels, moss growing on the windowsill. The pictures were false advertising. The “hot” water barley got warm after 20 minutes of preheating. The flush buttons and toilet seat were broken. It was a miserable place.
Day 24: Woke up cold and packed. Headed to a local South Indian restaurant for a banana leaf plated with delicious vada and dosa. After breakfast we went to Bryant park and wandered down Coakers Walk. We then visited the Pillar Rocks and Guna Cave. It’s amazing how clouds can engulf an entire mountain. Then we drove to Madurai to our final home stay for our India trip! Walked around the block for fresh chicken and corn pizza.
Day 25: Walked down the street for dosa and chais before making our way to Meenakshi Amman Temple, one of the oldest temples in India. Spent 2 hours wandering around and through the complex including the Hall of Thousand Pillars. Phones were not allowed inside, so sharing a couple from the beautiful web. We then embarked on the 440km drive back to Bangalore, entertained by passing scenery and questionable audiobooks. Stopped for lunch where we had dragon cauliflower, parotta with dal and potato soup, and fantastic paneer biryani. Once home, enjoyed a homemade meal of vegetable rotis and code belle. We then hung out with Shreesha and Tejal and passed out before Irina and Thanh got back from Goa (we originally planned to meet them near the airport for a final night out 😂).
Codbelli- rice flower rings
Photo link https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/india/meenakshi-amman-hindu-temple/
To do today (last day 😭)
Day 26: Bittersweet. Not ready to leave the phenomenal company and great food, but at least our final day was a blast. Had the absolute best dosas made by Shreesha’s mom for breakfast, including a dessert one with sugar instead of chutney. Made a checklist and started off to find everyone’s favorite edibles. First was desserts – gulab jamun, cashew burfee, Mysore pak, kalakand, jalebi! Then coffee and sugar cane juice for Irina’s insatiable sweet tooth. Wandered around commercial street for jewelry and anything else that caught our fancy. Hailed auto rickshaws to Savory for biryani and shawarma lunch before heading back to base to send off Irina and Thanh. Went back out for some final shopping, mostly gifts and some delicious snacks for work – Widjaja, please let everyone know that no riots will be necessary. Finally off to dinner at Nevermind, where everything was overpriced, but never mind that. Circled back to base for farewells and made our way to the airport where we now await a flight to freezing Philadelphia.
787
Movies Amanda watched on the flights
Going: Luka Chuppi, Aladdin, Detective Pikachu, Crazy Stupid Love
Returning: The Other Woman, Second Act, Life As We Know It, Frozen, Dumbo, How to Train Dragons 3