Brighton by the sea

blogger-image--1700600527again, i start with high aspirations of blogging while traveling, and then it just all falls apart. funny how that happens.

i am on a 10 day work trip and spent the first part of the week in the UK, Brighton to be exact. we (my colleague and i) lucked out with the weather, warm and sunny the entire time.  it was obvious who ditched the event for some beach time, i just hope their sunburn fades before they go back to the office Friday!

since we were there for a conference there wasn’t time to see a whole lot, but there was a walk through a lovely garden and a few dinners out. for a seaside town in the UK there were plenty of really good vegetarian choices. on our first evening we wandered through the streets of Brighton and made our way to a place a friend recommended, Terre a Terre. super tasty and my favorite meal. we had a big group dinner at Jamie’s Italian (Jamie Oliver’s restaurant) which i heard can be hit or miss. thankfully we were there on a hit night, i thought it was really good.  another great place was the Chilli Pickle, an Indian restaurant not too far from the hotel.

we stayed at the Hilton, which was the conference hotel and conveniently located, but not the best Hilton i’ve been to by any means.  rumor has it the one in Santa Cruz , CA is worse;  this is according to a colleague at the conference who has stayed at many a Hilton.

the conference was good; i saw some old friends and made some new ones as well.  plus it was in Brighton, and i hadn’t ever been here before. i love seeing new places.  by the way, the beach, not sandy at all.  all pebbles.

tomorrow we make our way to Finland where we will be for the weekend.  there is some sightseeing in my future, but what i will see is yet to be determined. stay tuned for highlights from Helsinki!

hola amigos

i know, i know.  i said i was going to post something about the Mexico trip sooner rather than later,

and now it’s later.  much later.

the trip did happen, and it was a lot of fun.  i have been to a couple of different places in Mexico before, but not over to the Cancun area.  i wasn’t really in Cancun, but that’s where we flew into.  we then took and hour shuttle ride south( i think) to Akumal Beach which is 30 minutes from Playa del Carmen and 20 minutes from Tulum.

we stayed at an all inclusive resort called the Akumal Beach Resort and it was great.  i’m not a fancy hotel person, so the word resort always makes me a little nervous.  this was just the kind of resort i was looking for.  small, casual, clean, decent food and right on the beach.  the people that work there were great and the other guests were a combination of young, old, families, couples, and singles.  the resort had something for everyone.

we took a day trip to Chichen Itza; Chichen Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, an honor bestowed upon the location last year.  you might remember when i was visiting Iguazu Falls in 2011 they were also in the running to become one of the new seven. 

the trip also included a stop at a cenote (underground swimming hole) and a colonial town.  and what tour isn’t complete with a buffet lunch and traditional dance performance.

we also took the bus to Tulum so we could see the ruins there as well.  similar dwellings, but different materials since Chichen Itza is inland and Tulum is right on the coast.  the beach by the ruins has been named one of the most beautiful beaches by National Geographic.  it was very picturesque.

ruins, beaches, resting, relaxing, cold beer on tap…….it was pretty much a perfect vacation and i would go back without question.  i wonder if they’re booked this weekend?

please forgive me

it is now the end of April and sadly i haven’t made a post since January.  it’s not that i don’t care, i do.  but life happens.  you get busy and you forget that somewhere out there there is a little electronic journal collecting cyber dust waiting for a little bit of new text.

there has been some travel since i wrote last, so at least i write with something to share.  in February i went to London for a few days for work.  as always with work trips, i managed to have a little non-work fun while there.  in addition to getting to spend time with some old friends, i went to the theater one night.

i caught show at the Harold Pinter Theater called Old Times with Kristen Scott Thomas and Rufus Sewell.  it was really good.  not uplifting by any means, but hey, it’s Pinter.

shortly after i returned from London i headed out to Austin for SXSW.  again this was a work trip, but i love Austin and being there for SXSW was fantastic.  unfortunately i had a horrible cold so i wasn’t able to enjoy much of the nightlife.

 i was able to recover at home for two weeks and then it was off to Boston for another work trip, this time to go to a show called PAX East.  again, i was able to combine work with pleasure and was able to see friends and a couple of sites while i was there.  i really like Boston, and always enjoy my time there.  my heart goes out to the city after the tragedy last week.

last weekend i was in Las Vegas with my friends from Colorado.  not a huge fan of Las Vegas but when you’re there for fun with friends you haven’t seen in awhile, it’s all good.

next week i’m off to Riviera Maya, Mexico.  i’ve only been to Puerto Vallarta and La Paz, so i’m excited to visit a new destination in Mexico.  i will do my best to post shortly after my trip, if not during.

until then………………….

happy new year

wasn’t i saying i was going to have at least one post a month?  it’s now January and my last post was in November.  sigh.  it’s a new year though and with a new year comes new inspiration, and in my case new travels to write about!

since my return from Sydney and Hawaii i haven’t really traveled much, except for a Thanksgiving trip to Seattle and a Christmas trip to Tahoe.

i love Seattle. i think it’s a bit gray for me to live there year-round, but it does have a lot to offer, and it’s such a fun place. i have friends that live there, so every time i visit it’s like going home. a home with all friends!

since i visit there often i don’t usually get out and about too much, but over Thanksgiving weekend my friend JM and i went to dinner at a little restaurant called Serafina. it isn’t new, but it was exactly what i had hoped it would be, comfortable, cozy, and tasty. i will definitely go back.

over the Christmas holiday i went to Tahoe to visit family and enjoy the snow.  last year people were kayaking and mountain biking during December, so it was nice to see snow on the ground this year.

it’s shaping up to be a good ski season, hopefully it will last into March, as i have some travel coming up for work, and my ski days will be limited.

i will be in London next week, so stay turned for another post soon.

mahalo and good night

first, let me just say that despite my active application of bug repellent yesterday, those damn mosquitoes still managed to dine on my leg. i sit here typing with toothpaste spots on my calf. i am a firm believer in the toothpaste on mosquito bite remedy by the way, it always works for me.

when i first came to Oahu with my Mom a million years ago we went and saw the Pearl Harbor Memorial. since it had been awhile, this seemed like a good time to see it again. things have changed since my first visit, and now the USS Arizona Memorial is part of a much bigger site called the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.
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the site has a fantastic visitors center and surrounding grounds. there are two museums, a film, and the USS Arizona tour you can see for free and then for a fee you can also see the USS Bowfin submarine, the Battleship Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. you can purchase a passport for $56 which covers all of the sites and includes the self-guided audio tour at each place. totally worth every penny.
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the whole tour was great, although is does make for a long day. after close to five hours of military history i had to call it quits and i didn’t even make it to the Aviation Museum. next time.

there was a quick afternoon poolside rest, a shower, and then a short walk to the Royal Hawaiian in time for a sunset cocktail.
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dinner with friends at Uncle Bo’s, followed by the bestest sweet treat, a malasada (think Portuguese doughnut) from Leonard’s. the perfect way to end the evening.
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ocean sounds

i live by a freeway and every night as i’m going to sleep i can hear the traffic. i try and tell myself it’s the ocean. waves crashing into shore and rolling back out again. the sirens, motorcycles, and honking tends to quickly shatter my seaside illusion.
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napping at the beach listening to real waves is fantastic, and that is how i started my day. i then enjoyed a tasty lunch at Duke’s and wandered back to the hotel so i could clean up before my hike to Manoa Falls. had i known i was going to be on a muddy trail slathered in bug spray i might have bypassed the cleaning up.
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it was a fairly easy 90 minute hike, although slick in some spots. i managed to stay upright the whole time, but i’m pretty sure a new pair of sneaks is in my future. it was really picturesque, lots of lush greenery and beautiful flowers including the African Tulip.
IMG_5086 there hasn’t been a lot of rainfall this year, so the falls aren’t very full, but it was still a nice way to spend the afternoon.

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aloha

IMG_0131goodbye Sydney, hello Honolulu. arriving early at a hotel is never a fun thing,
especially when you may have four hours to wait, but thankfully i wasn’t waiting in the lobby!

i’m enjoying a stay at the Wyndham Royal Gardens during this visit, it’s a little bit further from the beach than their other property, but it’s really nice. and the best thing (at least this morning), is that they have a media lounge where you can hang out until your room is ready. a media lounge with a comfy couch. thanks to my friends with a time share i could use!

the weather was cool and slightly windy when i got in this morning, but it ended up being nice and sunny at the beach! i had a nice walk, lunch at the Shorebird, and then proceeded to have a little nap in the sun.

i’m back at the hotel now for a quick shower before i head out to meet some friends for drinks.

misc. Sydney

it’s my last night in Sydney, tomorrow i’m off to Hawaii, Oahu to be exact. before i leave i wanted to capture a few misc. items of interest.

on my first night we went to see the Black Keys play at a local venue. so much smaller and cooler than seeing them at the Oracle Arena.
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we made our way to the Hunter Valley wine country one day for a little lunch and wine tasting. wine tasting is free here, how nice is that?!
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Sculpture by the Sea is a great exhibit that runs along the coast from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. i lucked out getting to see it, as it finishes on Nov. 4.
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thanks Sydney, it’s been fun!

zootastic

funny, typing in the title of the blog, it kept wanting to change it to zoo gastric, which really makes no sense at all. not that zootastic is even a word, but still…….

yesterday (and part of today) was spent at the Taronga Zoo. the zoo opened in 1916, and it sits on 75 acres of land. the zoo opened before the bridge was built so it was actually affordable; now it’s one of the most expensive places in Sydney.
IMG_4864we arrived at 6:15 PM and went to our tents to settle in. then we had a happy hour and met some creatures including a python, tree frog, little turtle, and a bearded dragon. we then made our way to the food market where dinner was being served. after dinner we went on a night zoo walk and saw lions, sun bears, tigers, and dholes (wild dog). we made our way back to camp for a little tea and dessert.

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nature is not quiet, therefore sleep wasn’t great, but waking up to the roar of lions was pretty cool.

breakfast was served at 6:15 AM and shortly after we started the “behind the scenes” tours. we fed giraffes, snuggled with koalas, and got to pet a seal.

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our tour ended at 9:15 AM and we had 15 minutes in the zoo before it opened to the public. we stayed for about 2 more hours and saw other animals like the wallaby, kangaroo, and a fishing cat. sadly no penguins on this trip, but the wombat is pretty cute.

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now it’s time for a nap. although spending the night in a tent at the zoo is pretty awesome, there is something to be said for the quiet comforts of home.

the land down under

i arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning and it’s been go go go ever since. i had hoped to get a post or two in before this, but it just didn’t happen, sorry.

that’s one of the biggest differences between traveling solo and with friends. when i travel by myself i often have evening time to write a post and go through pictures; but when i’m with friends we’re usually out and about.
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it’s been great weather since i’ve arrived, so there’s been lots of walking around. i’ve enjoyed a ferry trip to Watson’s Bay for fish n’ chips at Doyle’s, a tour of the Sydney Opera House, a walk across the Harbor Bridge and some super tasty gelato at Messina’s.

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yesterday ended with dinner at Hurricane’s, bowling at Kingpin, and the Zumbo dessert train. the dessert bar was fun, it worked like one of those sushi bars where the items go past on a little conveyor belt and you choose the ones you want. the concept was better than the actual dessert, but it was still fun.
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today starts with breakfast at Bill’s, getting some shopping in for a party on Sunday, and then some time spent at the pool. it’s going to be hot today, so being poolside will be a good thing. this evening we head over to the Taronga Zoo for the Roar and Snore Overnight Experience. yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, we’re spending the night at the zoo! stay tuned for more on that adventure.

Zumbo photo courtesy of weekend notes.com