Why Travel? Someone once asked me

Natural Bridge in Western Australia

Beaches are spectacular in Western Australia

Singapore skyline

Halong Bay in Viet Nam

Halong Bay in Viet Nam

Buddhism is a part of the culture throughout Asia

Young monks learning in a monastery

Outdoor markets with fresh products are all  over Asia

Rice paddies are all over Asia

Primary school children in Luang Prabang, Cambodia

Sunset in Laos

Rivers and fishing are a mainstay in Asia

Shwedagone Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, former known as Burma

Someone once asked me why I wanted to travel so much. He was content to stay home and maybe take a few days to go 60 miles to New Jersey to a change of scenery. I said that God made this beautiful world and it was my job to see every inch of it!! I do love the visual beauty of it and am in awe of what glorious diversity and grandeur there is. But there is more to it than that.

For one thing, one’s world view is enlarged and deepened by travel– particularly by experiencing new places through the eyes of the people who live there. You get to see and experience things as others do. Nothing was brought home so much as our recent trip to Viet Nam where we viewed the war that we lived through from a totally different perspective. It was not an easy one, I must say, even after all these years. I will be writing more about the Viet Nam experience in future blogs. It is an amazing country and was a complex and wonderful trip.

I have a very strong desire to nurture experiences in parts of the world that are most foreign to me. With increased telecommunications, we are all citizens of the world and I want to become more familiar with the many wonderful people and cultures that inhabit our planet. I love that I have Facebook friends from my travels to Australia, Africa and Asia! I reluctantly went to Myanmar and was delighted with the experience. I wanted to wait until Aung San Suu Kyi was freed to go. but were have been in other tyrannical countries and I had been told the people are wonderful, so I went. I will tell you more about that spectacular trip in future posts. Extraordinary place!!

Travel is, in and of itself, an education – a discovery of the commonality of people amidst great diversity. It is fun as well as deeply meaningful! Travel nurtures me.

Arriving in Australia

After traveling for over 36 hours, we finally arrived in Perth, Western Australia. We left our house at 7 AM on Monday morning and Arrived at Perth airport on Wednesday morning 7:30 AM. We actually flew on 3 planes for 27 hours. Perth is far away!! But I must say, the trip was not at hectic or grueling as I expected and I thank American Eagle and Cathay Pacific Airlines for that. Part of One World Air, they made the trip seamless. We checked our bags straight through from Philadelphia to Perth and they arrived with us. We also made all the flights which took off on time. The seats had leg room and the service was exceptionally friendly and considererate. We ordered kosher food on all flights and got it. I cannot tell you howe many times we haven't received it when we've ordered it. There were many movies to choose from for in-flight entertainemnt so I got to see several movies and read a book and a half!

Perth, Australia's sunniest capital, is a great town of over a million people in Western Australia. It boasts one of the largests inner city parks in the world and has 19 beaches in the metropolian area. When we got off the plane it was a lovely summer day and the expected temerature was 90!!

The Mercure Hotel is located in the heart of the city, walking distance to the Hay and Murray Street Malls, The Art Gallert of Perth, The Western Australia Museum,State Library, and several other major attractions. On the first day, we went to the Art Gallery and the musueum.I have somephotos but cannot upload them from this computer. I will do so at a later date becasue the work was outstanding and I want to share it with you!!

The next days we visited beaches which were glorious- clean water, great surf. Many kite surfers. I also have pictures to share later.

Australia is amazing!!

Favorite Ocean Vacations

Some of my favorite vacations included ocean stays. A trip along the South Ocean Road in Australia which included a stay on Kangaroo Island was one of my all time favorites. Arranged by Esther Beckman at Altour International, I would recommend it highly (914-993 -4085).

Another favorite was Cairns in the tropical north of Australia, which seemed an oxymoron to me. But it was a fabulous area. We stayed there a week and had a wonderful time exploring the area. The Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rain Forest, where the Rainforest meets the reef, snorkeling, boating, crocidiles, mangrove trees, lots of exctement. @whitsunday on twitter.
( www.whitsundayonline.net)

Another favorite was Prince Edward Island which is a great surpsie. Although it is far north, the Gulf Stream makes the water warm and comfortable for swimming. The red earth and farmland right up to soft sand beaches made it a nice contrast. We stayed on the north shore. (http://www.toruismpei.com/)

St Martins on the French side was very relaxing and wonderful for a week. We stayed at L'Esplanade which I found online. Lovely rooms with kitchenettes and easy access to wonderful restaurants if you wanted. We rented a car and drove to different beaches every morning and afternoon, until we found two we really liked and then went to those more often. The Atlantic side had waves. (www.stmartins.com)

Moorea was also an amazing ocean vacation. In a small bungalow only yards from the South Pacific (pinch me), we watched the palm trees sway in the breezes. Problem was the reef was so thick, you could not swim or walk in the water there. We did snorkel and swim in other parts of the ocean, however. The resort we stayed at had many activites everyday. It was paradise in so many ways. Contact Esther Beckman for travel plans.

A special ocean vacation is Long Beach Island, a favorite spot for over 25 years. Right on the New Jersey shore, it is hard to beat!! Beautiful sandy beaches, great waves for body surfing, not too far from home, only blocks between ocean and bay, Old Barney lighthouse, Fantasy Island amusement park!! Heaven on earth vacation spot. Plus LBI Foundation for the Arts and Sciences. (www.lbifoundation.org)

The pictures from the top are: Easter Island in the South Pacific Ocean, Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island in the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Horn in the South Pacific/Atlantic oceans, Turks and Caicos Island in the Caribbean, and Ocean City in the Atlantic Ocean