My 2023 travel adventures
Scroll down this long web page to follow my journey country-by country.
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A short summary of the major stops along the way, country flag and location. Most of the better details and stories are in my blog or Instagram feed.
Let me know if you read or see anything you find interesting. Sharing is half the fun.
Costa Rica
I jump off the new year with a trip to Central America. Starting in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.
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Driving, exploring, and taking pictures.
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I drove the roads of Costa Rica for 2 weeks. Traveling north to dive out of Playas del Coco, to the Cloud RainForest of Monteverde, to the surf town of Jaco,,and to Manuel Antonio National Park.
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Plenty more to explore in this easy to visit destination!!
Panama
Just a short visit to this interesting country. Small, but at a critical geographic crossroad of the planet.
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Panama City - Huge and busy with a Miami-like skyline.
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Panama Canal - a world treasure. Everyone knows of this place!!
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Casco Viejo - a cool old-town district in Panama City, definitely the place to stay here.
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Boca Del Toro - for a little diving in the Carribean and a hidden escape. The best vibe in Panama!! Archipelagos always get my love.
Ecuador ,,, and the famous Galapagos
Finally, I go to the Galapagos. It's the Meca for Diving. World known.
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I stop in Quito for a few days first. Take a look at the Ecuadorian Andes. The high mountains are gorgeous and the city welcoming.
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But with over 3 weeks in the Galapagos,,this is all about Diving. And channeling Darwin of course.
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Marine Animals and adventure,,and land animals.. Yeah, its in the running for the coolest place on the planet.
Columbia - Bogota
Just a short visit to Columbia. More planned as a rest-stop from the diving adventure in the Galapagos....
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I discovered a city with several first-rate museums, a cool Moutain cable car, lots of great restaurants. And, I was able to meet up with an old friend from Africa here. We traveled the city by bus..great fun.
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Another time, I'll explore the other cities of Columbia..but for now, time for more onward travel.
UAE - Dubai (again)
Back to the most amazing city on the planet.
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A direct flight from home, a few days to adjust to the big jump...and more city to explore.
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I add trips to the Jumeirah Beach, with views of Burj Al Arab, trips to The Frame and The Museum of the Future - all insane architecture.
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And always, time in Downtown. Soaking in the Burh Khalifa light show and their mall.
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I'm looping back here in a month, to collect my stored dive-gear.
Oman
Oman, wow. Now I'm traveling.
Make sure you have a Visa in-hand.
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Exploring Muscat, the capital. A little of the coastline. Mosque's, Souq's, Opera House and Palaces.
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Adjust to life in a Muslim country. Dress properly. Drink sour Goat milk. Embrace the culture. This ancient country has a long and rich history.
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India
Finally, I visit. Tied for the most populated country in the world. 1.5 billion humans.
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Mumbai (Bombay) is my first stop. I immerse myself in the neighborhoods surrounding The Gateway to India. Learning, feeling the chaos of street life.
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Pushing onto New Delhi. Exploring its Slums and history. And importantly; a visit to the Taj Mahal.
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Just a big-city visit. Something I 'needed' to do. If I ever return to India,,I'll target more rural areas...maybe Kashmir ?
Nepal
Legendary - Nepal is fantastic !!!
Katmandu, the streets of Thamel... vibrate, alive.
Pokhara - calm lake side, and the jump off to trekking Annapurna.. Trekking was by-far the highlight of this amazing country.
Chitwan - for a bonus Safari experience.
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This is a top 10 country to visit !! Its magical.
Qatar - Doha
Just a quick stop here in Qatar.
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Actually, Qatar is just one city - Doha.
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A lot of flat, desert. White-brown dirt,,with oil and the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf) surrounding.
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But wow!! what a city. Much like Dubai, just smaller. But still. The hotels and quality of life for a tourist.. unmatched. ...
and definitely a great stop-over after Nepal.
Seychelles - African, Indian Ocean
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After short stops in Doha and Dubai..back to my element... The ocean and diving. A pleasure to visit..and see their Giant Tortoises.
Mauritius
Mauritius - More great diving. Driving the island. Seeing their mountains.
Reunion
Reunion,,, I had diving planned.... but bad weather cancelled all diving here. My loss.
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But, I did explore and enjoy the crazy high mountains of this island, and the crashing waves on the coast line.
Madagascar
Madagascar is fantastic !!!
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Diving Nosey Be, exploring the jungles.
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A canoe camping trip, Tsingy Rock forest and Baobab trees.... And the people Wow.. I love this country.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia. A challenging country to explore.
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Finding Addis Ababa a huge modern city. With a airport serving as a central hub for all of East Africa.
Cool to see Lucy here, and visit first hand Haile Selassie's palace.
... and the highlight - Lalibela Rock Hewn churches.
Uganda
Exploring Entebbe and Kampala.
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Seeing their monkeys and Gorillas. ...
and better yet, meeting their amazing people. The dancing and singing was amazing !!! Uganda was fantastic !!
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Greece
Greece,,, always on the list :)
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Seeing the Parthenon and the Acropolis... Epic world wonders.
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Athens was amazing. I loved everything about it.
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Traveling Mykonos and Santorini - crazy beautiful.
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Luxury after my African Safari's... time to regroup.. Get back to the Ocean. :)
