VirtualTourist Member jadedmuse
| Page Views: 42,039 | ... by jadedmuse - last update: May 10, 2008  |
Nepal Re-visited... | Boudanath Stupa in Kathmandu |
I put together some of my photos for a little video clip of Nepal.
I invite you to join me on this little (re) visit.....click below:
Footprints through Nepal
Gabby turned 3...updated photos! , click here
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| Aboard "Buddha Air", with Mt. Everest in backgroun |
|  | I think I'm goin' to Kathmandu..."We decided to combine a trip to Nepal with a trip to Tibet. We spent three amazing weeks, half-way around the world from our humble home in the sub-tropics of Florida. We learned alot. We trekked. We walked. We watched. We lost weight... For a gripping view from the Roof of the World, click on my TibetFor a leisurely trek through the Annapurnas & Kathmandu, click on my Nepal
Ma Rencontre ParisienneHow many of us are familiar with the hustle and bustle personifying the arrival area at any given airport outside our country? The cacophony of a foreign language broadcasting over a loudspeaker as people push by; the urgency and the emotions and the confusion and the orchestra of dissonant sights and smells…This melody tends to play itself out at any airport, true enough - and yet Paris really brings it all together in a passionate crescendo. It might be a cliché as far as feelings go, but disembarking from a transatlantic flight into the Roissy CDG airport is one of the most exhilarating sensations in the world – like you’re getting swept up into a love affair beyond your control - as though there’s a beautiful, magical, unexpected je ne se quai around the corner just waiting to be discovered.
The problem after the first blush of this warm embrace is that first of all, it doesn’t last for very long; and secondly, if you’re like me, then you might just find yourself stumbling out of Charles de Gaulle’s arms and into the impersonal and ever intimidating confusion know as the Parisien metro. What an awakening.
What a reality check! I remember arriving at 9:00 am in the morning, knowing I'd be leaving for Tel Aviv the following day. Sure, I'd been to Paris before, and oui, I did all the checklist things that first time visitors to Paris do. But this time , I had just a little over 24 hours in the City of Lights and there were only two things I planned on doing during my layover: 1. have a coffee at the Café de Flore and people-watch; and 2. check out the little Picasso museum in the artist’s former house in the Le Marais district.
After collecting my luggage, I decided to save some money by skipping a taxi and braving the metro into the city. I don’t have a good sense of direction and I’m not a good listener – but mon dieu! I was in Paris (isn’t that good enough just by itself?) and I figured I had plenty of time (24 hours in fact) to get lost and eventually find my way to the hotel where I was supposed to be staying, pas probleme .
And get lost is precisely what I did.
............To read about an unusual experience which I like to call my "Rencontre Parisienne", click here
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Destination Pick: ISRAEL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For a quick video tour of Israel through my eyes, click below: Israel & West Bank ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Managed by German Protestants, staffed by Christian Palestinians, located in the insular Jewish section, and residing right next to the Muslim Quarter...this is the contemporary dichotomy that hits you about Jerusalem, embodied by the Lutheran Guest House.
I'd discovered the Lutheran Guest House back in 2000 when I was staying inside the Old Walled City for a few weeks with a friend. When we came across it during a day of exploration, I felt as though I'd uncovered a wonderous, charming secret. I already had a place to stay at that time, but vowed to lodge at the Lutheran Guest House when I would return to Jerusalem at a future date. And I did, in December of 2004.
But wait - there's more to this story...
To better understand my love for this country and its people, come with me to ISRAEL
Hotels from HellNot every vacation is idealic. Sometimes there are stories to tell. Sometimes we share our accomodations with unexpected (and unwelcome) guests. Sometimes we don't care about that. And sometimes, we do.
Here are a couple of "fun" experiences I had while on vacation:
Beware of Bears - click here
Beware of Bugs - click here
|  | | Courtyard of the Lutheran Guest House |
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| The inimitable Golden Gate Bridge |
|  | North America's Most Beloved CityMost Americans are probably familiar with Haight-Ashbury but for those who are not, it is basically the area in San Francisco where the hippies lived and loved; where the peaceful counter-culture of America's 60's dwelled and dropped acid; where incense pervaded the streets and free-wheeling musicians played impromptu performances; where flower-power and tie-dye ruled and if you couldn't make it to Kathmandu, then this was the next best thing. Today, many locals like to "hate 'The Haight'", but I still love this place (probably because of the whole Grateful Dead connection - Deadhead here). What is annoying about it now - and I'll concede this much - is that it is making money off its memories and somehow this seems sacrilegious, given its provocative and iconic history. I personally think you should not visit San Francisco without including a quick stop by The Haight, to pay your respects to the living symbol of an era that was arguably more pure and idealistic - if not a bit laid back, a bit stoned....but surely an all around groovy refuge for a kinder, gentler America. .........................For a low key, mellow tour of San Fransisco, click on my City By The Bay
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Gabrielle Gets Baptized aka, A Long Way From the Jordan River...At the end of July 2005, we celebrated the baptism of our daughter Gabrielle who was born May 01, 2005.
What made it extra special was the water from the Jordan River which we brought back with us from our recent trip to Israel.
........For a glimpse of the baptism, click on Gabby's Baptism
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| Hint: The famous "Bed-In"... |
|  | Give Peace a Chance ........Click here to see how this photo ties into my Montreal pages........
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Travel Trivia Biodiversity, global warming, saving the planet, appreciating different cultures, visiting faraway places....
....it's all in this timeless book that also doubles as a calendar: Earth From Above - 366 Days.
A must have for every travel junkie - or concerned citizen of Planet Earth. ..........Click here for more details: Amazon.com |  | |
| In between proud Highlander tribesmen of Tari |
|  | THE LAST FRONTIER... Papua New GuineaWho Dares to go to Papua New Guinea?The person who decides to go to Papua New Guinea is someone who is fascinated by anthropology, and/or an obsessive scuba diver looking for that next great dive destination. Maybe I was a little of both.
Either way, Papua New Guinea goes down in my travel logs as one of the strangest, wildest, and maybe the most exciting place I've ever been. The people were warm and wonderful, the coffee was SUPERB, the diving spectacular, the cultural elements were surprising, and the scenery....well, it was pretty out of this world.
My photos don't do justice to the trip, and my memory is fading more every day.
I knew if I didn't get this down into words now, I will just wake up one morning and think that maybe it had all been a strange and beautiful dream.
.................Come see for yourself, this fabled last frontier in the South Pacific called Papua New Guinea
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Comments for jadedmuse | | | | |
kikalena Tue May 13, 2008 06:54 UTC Happy, happy belated b-day to you and you sweet daughter! I was off-line for a while, sorry to be so late.I love your video clip, wonderful! I finally made it to Nepal and still can't gather together words to describe this wonderful experience. | JohnniOmani Sat May 10, 2008 21:01 UTC Ola, If you like Time Travel ie your Papua N Guinea Pages . . try Yemen . . . like going back 500 yrs Incredible. Jz | Mikebond Thu May 8, 2008 17:16 UTC Hi Michele! How are you? It's weird to write "Hello Michele... greetings from Michele", isn't it? :D | tjtom Thu May 8, 2008 06:55 UTC Hi Michele, Just wanted to touch base and say Hi and hope all things are going good. Keep smiling. Tom |
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