Rail Journey Through India October 19-31, 2014

Rail Journey Through India October 19-31, 2014

I traveled along as an Expedition Leader trainee for this National Geographic Expedition.

You can see more at http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/expeditions/india-train-tour/detail

Arrived in Delhi late at night as many flights do – the airport was bright, modern and easy to navigate. 

In each city we visited the incredible palaces and forts of bygone eras that somehow have survived the ravages of time, hot summers, and pouring monsoon rains. India is a breathtaking jumble of life filled with stark contrasts and vibrant incongruities. You have to see it to believe it! 

 View of New Delhi from the window of the Taj Mahal Hotel

 With my mentor, Maris, in our cover ups for the Jama Masjid Mosque

 Right there with all the cars, tuk tuks, motorcycles and cows!

 Where Gandhi was murdered

Getting a henna tattoo in Jaipur at the night market during the Diwali celebrations

Sunrise at Rathambhore Tiger Reserve 

 Cue the tiger!

 Palace on Wheels

ready for a full day of adventure

colorful markets in  Jaisalmer

of course we rode camels

the Sadar Market in Jodhpur

favorite water buffalo in Bharatpur

selfie with the Taj at sunrise

..and at sunset

Good bye for now India - I can't wait to visit again in February!

                                               

Adriatic Journey September 9-17, 2014

They say time flies when you are having fun - I can vouch for that!  I'm catching up on posting my past two trips. Here is the first:

Arrived in Dubrovnik from Dublin on September 9.  Had a chance to look around before meeting all the passengers for this Stanford Alumni tour the following day.

 Welcome to Croatia

 Dubrovnik

 Hospitality Table

Our ship: Variety Voyager

 Our walking tour of Dubrovnik was lovely, but the city was very crowded with tourists.

One stop, the oldest Pharmacy interesting and is still in operation.

The weather was quite stormy when the ship left Dubrovnik and headed north. It settled down at some point during the night but the skies were still cloudy the next day. 

The islands we visited were Rab, Trogir and Vis. In each case we were greeted by local guides and shown around the ancient cities.

 Rab Island

 Trogir

Vis

The cruise into the Bay of Kotor was spectacular! This was definitely a highlight for everyone on the cruise. The views along the way to and from Ngulsi and Centji were amazing!  The bus ride was the main attraction up and down the narrow and curvy roads.

 Bay of Kotor

Gate into City of Kotor

 View of mountains behind the city

 views of beaches and towns on bus ride to Ctinje & Njulsi

 higher and higher

 the Kotor Road – 22 switchbacks in 22 kilometers

 tight turns!

 view on our way back to Kotor

All in all a lovely way to spend a week! Put Croatia on your travel bucket list soon!!!

Fall Travel 2014: Ireland Bike Tour - September 5

 We have a day off from riding! Exploring Clifden -

Cute display of some bikes on the wall dividing the one way streets in town.

Looking back at Clifden from the bay

I knew my Guardian Angel was here, somewhere!

 Found a map that shows where we will be riding the next few days

Ross  & Jess and I- group selfie

Fall Travel 2014: Ireland Bike Tour Sept 4

I awoke to cows mooing outside my door and songbirds greeting the sunrise. After enjoying those moments I met the group downstairs for breakfast and we headed off to see one more fortress ruin called Dun Aonghasa. 

That's the fort, way up there....

On the way there were two adorable fledgling robins who were chirping their heads off in defense of their territory which we were invading!

In Medieval times, people on the Aran Islands lived in “chiefdoms” – the largest example of this is the hillfort at Dun Aonghasa ( Dun Aengus ) on Inis Mor. This spectacular fort stands on the highest point of the cliffs on Inis Mor (87m or almost 300 ft).

 Looking straight down

The word “Dun” means “fort of a king or chieftain”. The Aran Island chiefs were powerful and wealthy people who controlled the western sea passages – supposedly keeping the seas free from pirates on behalf of the merchants in Galway in exchange for protection money. Apparently these protectors were not against a bit of pirating themselves, but that’s another story! 

 Non- flying buttresses

Chevaux de frise

“Chevaux de frise” is the name given to a band of closely spaced stone uprights or wooden stakes, effective against attack in horseback and often found on stony landscapes where excavating a ditch would have been difficult.

One look back up the path

On our way back to catch the noon ferry we stopped at the Spar to buy sandwiches for the ride. 

We docked in Rossaveal and collected our bikes for an afternoon trek to Clifden via the Bog Road.

Along the “Bog Road” looking towards the Twelve Bens mountains

Winding our way up the road I was tempted to stop at every turn to take another picture, however this was a long ride day, so I tried to keep it to just a few.

  We stopped for tea in Cashel at a charming Victorian guest house

We arrived after a ride of about 44 miles at the Dolphin Beach Hotel situated on Clifden Bay.  http://www.dolphinbeachhouse.com/

 My room

 The view

Ahhhhhh!