Despite some trepidation, we are excited about the long anticipated adventure of riding an elephant. It is a gorgeous day.  The sun is...

Our hotel is situated outside the main center of town, on the bank of the Ping River, which runs through the middle of the city.  Founded...

We were sad to leave Luang Prabang, but new adventures await us.  Next on our itinerary is Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai. As...

Our first destination this morning is the Tham Ting and Tham Teung caves on the banks of the Mekong river.  Getting there by boat against...

0515 Reveille! Time to head out for the daily Almsgiving, an important ritual every morning in the life of a Buddhist monk. Every male...

Time to move on to our next destination – Luang Prabang in Laos.  First, we join our guide Anne for some last-minute sightseeing. Given...

We’re on our way to our first destination, Bangkok, Thailand.  We’re flying Asiana Airlines (South Korean) via Seoul, South Korea. Yes,...

As Roselie and I continue to immerse ourselves in preparation for this trip, we grasp every opportunity for a better understanding into...

PROLOGUE: WHY ARE WE GOING? My knowledge of the world between China and India has always been shrouded in fog, pierced only by the...

The afternoon tour was physically easier.  Our guide, Fabian (yes, another, but different, Fabian), and his colleague picked us up with a...

Two different guides, five different venues – a full day!  Lets get going. Since it looked like it would be a short walk and we were full...

After our down time in Tuscany, we were ready to hit the big cities again.  We drove back to Florence, dropped off our car, and boarded a...

Food was the focus of our last full day in Tuscany.  As Chef Ryan says with a smile, “Would you like to cook some delicious food, have...

It’s time for a change of pace as we pick up our rental car and drive south for about three hours to Ossaia in the heart of Tuscany.  We...

Today’s focus was on art.  Michelangelo was born in a small town in Tuscany, but the family was based in Florence.  After his mother died...

The day after all that rain, the weather was beautiful as we wheeled our luggage to the canal for a water taxi to the train station. Such...

We started the first full day in Venice by going down our alley to a little sandwich shop to buy our breakfast of meats, cheeses, rolls,...

We arrived in Venice this morning with a huge sigh of relief and delight. Our luggage made it!  It was the FIRST piece out! This is a...

While this trip started with lots of excitement and anticipation, it quickly transformed into a travel nightmare. It’s as if we entered a...

Guardare fuori Italia …. arriviamo! We are very excited about this trip.  Foremost, Italy has a very special meaning in our family....