VdV's VirtualTourist Home Page

...has been my mom. She has been to 6 of the 7 continents (Antarctica is still on her list) ; almost every country in Europe; she's posed in huge wooden shoes in Amsterdam, sat on the "lap" of Leonardo da Vinci's statue on the banks of a French river, worn a sheik's headress while riding a camel along the Egyptian desert to see the Pyramids, worn a Japanese Samurai armor suit in a feudal castle in Hiroshima, visited St. Petersburg, cruised through Scandinavia, eaten Thai food from the food stalls in Bangkok, stayed on a plantation in Darwin, Australia, rode a hot air balloon across Niagara Falls, eyed the electric guitars at the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, laughed aloud during a show of "Menopause the Musical!";stared wide-eyed at the architectural wonders of the Chicago skyline, braved the snow (two trips) to visit her niece in Colorado Springs; was seen on "The Love Boat" with her Oxnard buddies on their 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, ate a huge piece of chicarrone for 3 days in central Mexico, rode the ski lift in Deer Valley, Park City, donned a Carnaval costume in the Sambadromo in Rio de Janeiro, was attached by a coati at Iguazcu Falls, and charmed everyone she met in Curitiba, Brasil...she's tireless and amazing!

Maybe I like to travel to try to keep up with her... She's like the Garden Gnome from the film "Amelie"and Expedia/Travelocity commercials--she has photos taken in many cities from all over the world!

I hope to carry her adventurous spirit always with me as I try to catch up with her world travels....

In the past three years, I've traveled to Portugal (Lisbon and Evora), Mexico (San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Nuevo Vallarta and Puebla), Puerto Rico (San Juan, Isla Verde, Ponce), to Utah and Texas with my Mom (on her quest to visit all 50 U.S. states), Chicago (for fun, not for work anymore!), Seattle (for the International Film Festival), Dallas, New York (Hudson River Valley and Brooklyn Heights), Sao Paulo and a return trip to Curitiba, Brasil.

Besides my family's hopeful plans to visit Anarctica, my next planned trips are to London to visit my transplanted Curtibana friend, Luciana, (with a stopover in Manchester...to visit Urbis and Old Trafford to gather Man Utd paraphernalia), to Oaxaca, Mexico for arts and crafts shopping, and hopefully to off the beaten path places in Argentina and Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. Iceland is still also very high on my Wish List, as is New Zealand, Easter Island and parts of Chile, a return trip to Portugal and hopefully the Azores, and Tasmania and Perth in Australia.

In early 2007, I suffered from a very sudden and severe case of psoriatic arthritis, experiencing excruciating pain and inflammation in almost every joint of my body, from my neck, both elbows and wrists, both knees, ankles and even every join in my fingers and toes. For several days at a time, I would be in such excruciating pain that I could not even walk or peform daily functions such as opening a door, turning on a faucet, picking up a phone, etc. Besides the physical pain of that experience, one of the most depressing realizations was the possibility that I would not be able to travel anymore.

However, as a result of some very effective modern meds, I'm walking again, with my pain levels down to about 2-3 each day (last year it was at 9 and 10!) Now that I've regained my mobility, I'd love to start traveling again! Sure, it will be a hassle to take my prefilled med syringes overseas while keeping them refrigerated, but there are still lots of places to go! And, even if I had been or ever do become disabled again and confined to a wheelchair or have to walk with a cane again, nothing will stop me from seeing the world!

Well, for the time being, other members of my family are facing health challenges. Hopefully we will all be better by next year, and I can join my Mom, sister and brother on their preliminary plans to travel to Anarctica. I'm laying low for the next few months, planning to do lots of neighborhood explorations around Southern California, my homeplace full of its own travel gems and rich in cultural diversity.

I used to travel alot for work (domestically within the U.S.)averaging from 3 to 6 flights per month from L.A. to places like Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. In my work travels, I visited neighborhoods where community organizations are building affordable housing and doing other work to improve the lives of people in lower-income neighborhoods. I often wish these neighborhoods were on the itinerary of commercial tour companies, so that people could see the wonderful things that I have the opportunity to see and meet the wonderful people I've had the opportunity to meet.

As I build out my travel pages, you will see that I like going to places and exploring neighborhoods of cities big and small, of learning about how people live and what they value in their communities (besides typical monuments and tourist attractions.) I especially like "second cities"--those cities that aren't on the top of most tourists' lists. For example, when one thinks of Australia, most think of Sydney, seeing Uluru (Ayer's Rock) or the Great Barrier Reef. Me? I think Adelaide, the various wonderful neighborhoods of Melbourne, of Kangaroo Island, and how someday I really want to see for myself if Bunbury really does have the best all-around climate in the world. I haven't been to New Zealand, but I have a hankering to go to Hawke Bay, and to check out the low-rise Art Deco architecture in Napier. And Argentina? Yeah, Buenos Aires would be nice, but I want to walk around places like Cordoba, Mendoza and visit other coastal places less developed than Mar del Plata.

For now, I will be exploring or re-discovering neighborhoods in my own backyard here in Southern California until my family all gets better healthwise. Happy to recommend places to any of you visiting So Cal. You won't get recommendations for Rodeo Drive, Universal Studios, etc. from me. But if you favor Off the Beaten Path type exploring into Southern California's neighborhoods, drop me a line.

I hope you enjoy this virtual travel with me as you browse these pages, which will be continually updated as I travel to neighborhoods and communities all over world...looking forward to learning about your travels too!