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Japan: Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Season

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One of the special joys of Japan is “Sakura” or Cherry Blossom season which begins around the end of March and lasts for approximately two weeks.  So, we traveled to Japan on March 14 for this reason.  When we arrived in Tokyo and Yokohama, the cherry trees were not in bloom yet. There's a window of about a month between March and April when the flowers will start to bloom. Sakura are traditionally planted in shrines and temples, and castle grounds. So, we took excursions to places said to be the top viewing spots like Himeji Castle and Fuji Five Lakes.  We spotted a few plum blossoms of dark pink color at Himeji Castle and Gardens, but the cherry trees were not in bloom yet.    Our guide to Himeji Castle and Fujisan reminded us not to worry if we had not spotted Sakura during our first week in Japan. It’s hard to miss Sakura because it makes the headline news in Japan before any bad economic and political news.  Sakura is very important to the Japanese culture.  Traditionally, the

The Beauty of Bangkok

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The Beauty of Bangkok Though I had been resting gently in the palm of the hills at the most northern edge of this country of smells the city drew me like a magnet like a magpie to a shiny object I ate heaping plates of spicy  noodles at streetside stalls asked women to pummel my body allowed for sweetness to enter via mango and sticky rice and allowed the subterfuge of those who would take advantage  to wash off of me easily Outside the Flower Market Wat Pho - the birthplace of traditional massage Grand Palace Complex - Outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Tasmania: An Epic Road-trip Part 9

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Part 9 – The Bay of Fires From Swansea we headed to the Bay of Fires, another popular destination in north-east coast Tasmania. Part of the day’s schedule was to stop in Bicheno to see the blow hole.  Bicheno is a laid-back town of about 950 that is famous for the blow hole, and ‘wildlife and ecology park’. We had a very pleasant drive to Bicheno through very green flatlands. Bicheno After parking our car, we headed to the beach, but it was hard to ignore and not read all the signposts along the coastal walkway. One signpost showed information about the Penguin Tour. Another showed information about the Nature and Wildlife Areas where Tasmania tiger, quolls, wombats and a variety of birds could be seen. Sadly, we did not have time to explore the wildlife in the park and the surrounding beaches in Bicheno, we only had time for the blow hole. We were greeted by an expansive beach of orange-colored granite rocks and boulders. There was a big triangular rock by the water edge.  I ass

Tasmania: An Epic Road-trip Part 8

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Part 8: From Launceston to Freycinet “I don’t exactly know where I’m going but I’m going.”  I live by these words when it comes to travel. And it could not be truer than being on a road trip with Ron and Lenny. I could have done some research or quick google search about Tasmania before our trip but no. I left all the travel planning and guiding to Lenny and trusted the driving to Ron since they had been to Tasmania before.  My first impression of Tasmania was that of a sparsely populated place and mostly wilderness. And Ron helped enlarge that image of wilderness when he told me that the cabin where they stayed in before was surrounded by wombats and that I should be able to take a picture of kangaroos crossing the road as they're plentiful in Tasmania. I did not know about the other cities in Tasmania other than Hobart. So, I was a bit surprised when we arrived in Launceston where our accommodation for the night was located. I found Launceston to be a relatively big city. It has

Tasmania: An Epic Road-Trip, Part 7

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Part 7: Cradle Mountain  There is no road to Tasmania, the largest island state of Australia. So, we had to take the ferry to continue our road-trip. I’ve sailed and crossed oceans enough times but never experienced such a rough sail as we had on the ten-hour ferry ride to Tasmania. We got so seasick that we stayed in our cabin throughout the whole ride. We arrived in Devonport at 6:30pm, rushed to our hotel, had dinner and hit the sack. Ron and Lenny visited Tasmania a year ago and had the same itinerary as we had except that we took the reverse route and visited Cradle Mountain first. The Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park is one of the most visited parks in Australia. It has many walking and hiking tracks including the Overland Track, one of the most famous hikes in the world. Overland Track stretches 80 kilometers between Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair National Park. We set out early so we could have a hearty breakfast in Sheffield. We drove North, which Ron thought