The morning post-election, we woke to a deluge of news coverage from home. We caved briefly to the torrent of commentary before making an effort to shut it off and focus on the present moment… we were in New Zealand, and we had a ferry to catch. The rain continued to follow us from the North Island … More NZ: South Island quakes and misty isles

Completing the final few blog posts while distracted by the comforts of home and attempting to transition back to “real life” has been slow-going. We find ourselves lingering over photos and journal entries, reminiscing and daydreaming instead of making progress on posts… …so, without further delay… We left Ubud on November 3rd, trading the sticky … More New Zealand: North Island adventure & election blues

On the afternoon of October 5th we climbed in a van bound for the Hoedspruit Airport, then on to Cape Town. Still giddy, feeling like kids and recapping all the sights and experiences from the safari; we vowed to return for another safari in the future. Our home for the next five days would be … More Red wine pairs well with large fish

Still amazed by Petra and discussing which Jordanian meals we were going to cook first, we continued our journey south west to the Red Sea. Prior to arriving, we stopped to visit the desert of Wadi Rum; filming locations for The Martian and Lawrence of Arabia. After a quick stop for tea in a Bedouin … More Fake Mars and relaxation

On 9/24, we continued south west from the Dead Sea with relaxed bodies and mud smoothed skin for Petra; the ancient site that was the original motivator for us wanting to visit Jordan. Through the afternoon desert heat, we began to see hazy glimpses of the canyons that hid the ancient city. Arriving to the … More Petra, a stop recommended by Indiana Jones

On 9/15 we departed Ullapool to continue the northerly drive on more of the spacious highland roadways. Our home for the next 4 days would be the Orkney Islands, a chain of islands located off the northern tip of Scotland. Unexpectedly, our time in the Orkneys turned out to be the highlight of Scotland for … More The Surprising North

Driving in the Highlands was a unique experience. We repeated our driving mantra daily as we started the car, “stay left, stay left.” The Highland roads came in two shoulder-less sizes: narrow and more narrow. The larger of the two, on which the traffic flowed between 60-70 mph, are the size of neighborhood roads in … More A lesson in defensive driving

A cool misty rain started to fall just as soon as we arrived in Edinburgh and checked into our hotel – a fine Scottish welcome! We dropped our bags and left in search of a pub to plan out our time in the city. The Guilford Arms was the perfect place to enjoy a few … More Edinburgh