Australia offers same-day, on-line free visas for stays up to 90 days. We wanted to stay for six months, and found the 600 visa, for stays up to a year. This takes longer and costs a minimum of $140. We decided to go for it. The complication seemed minor, your passport must be valid forContinue reading “Australian Tourist Visas”
Tag Archives: Travel preparation
It Took A Week to Pack?
We’ve now been traveling for more than four years. From two checked suitcases each we graduated to one checked bag, with our carry-ons packed as tightly as possible. Now there’s always space left over. I still check a bag, though. Eight months is a long time in climate that ranges from hot and wet toContinue reading “It Took A Week to Pack?”
Good to Know About the Galapagos
If you’re thinking about a trip to the Galapagos, there are several things to consider. -Land or Sea? I prefer sea because you can get to more of the islands, even though I am not a cruise person. -Choose your tour company carefully. Ask for recommendations from friends who have been to the Galapagos, keepingContinue reading “Good to Know About the Galapagos”
Visiting the Macaw Clay Licks
We opted for a tour after finding it complicated to arrange an independent trip, choosing Birding Ecotours, a US based company that runs birding tours all over the world. An important starting point is to realize there are several clay licks. Make sure you know where you are going and what you may see. It’s alsoContinue reading “Visiting the Macaw Clay Licks”
About Aruba
We don’t consider ourselves to be on vacation, but we had a wonderful two weeks of vacation in Aruba–it’s too hot to call it anything else. Here’s my advice based on our visit. Airbnb We rented a house in Savaneta that was quirky but worked well for us. I didn’t think a pool was veryContinue reading “About Aruba”
About Colombia
Our visit to Colombia was only two weeks and we spent the first week visiting specific places. I have fewer general comments about Colombia as a result. Airbnb Our Airbnb rental was eight days, much shorter than usual. Our experience shows the ups and downs of Airbnb. Our host texted us GPS coordinates, and JonathanContinue reading “About Colombia”
The puzzle that is Bolivia
We saw wonders in Bolivia, a remarkable plain of salt, the capital of an ancient empire, rare birds. In between those high points we flew around La Paz in a gondola, then drove across miles of altiplano where we passed quinoa fields, grazing herds of cows, horses, sheep, llamas, alpacas, vicunas and even pigs. WeContinue reading “The puzzle that is Bolivia”
April in La Paz, Bolivia
Whatever I was expecting from LaPaz, it wasn’t the brilliant blue sky capping the overflowing natural bowl that encompasses the city. From our window in the Hotel Stannum we see the snow-covered peak of Illimani southwest of the city center and the houses under construction farther and farther from the center, rising like the foamContinue reading “April in La Paz, Bolivia”
Good to Know About Italy
It is impossible to generalize about Italy. Every region has its own customs, traditions, holidays, food, music, language. We’ve enjoyed our time in Italy this year, seeing many places that figure in the history and archaeology. The spectacular art in many museums has been wonderful to see.There is a cost to visiting Italy. All ofContinue reading “Good to Know About Italy”
Life in Campania: Vacation Paradise, Daily Grind?
Hurricanes have flattened more than one vacation paradise recently. There are many left, and we are just finishing our stay in Salerno, Italy, adjacent to, if not in, vacation paradise (as in Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri). Our current home ground, the province of Campania, was the breadbasket of ancient Rome, and was occupied both long beforeContinue reading “Life in Campania: Vacation Paradise, Daily Grind?”
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