K.Knight's VirtualTourist Home Page

I love three things in life. Anne my wife of 18 years, traveling the world and to travel the world with my wife.

When I met Anne (my wife to be) in Feb 1989 I was a "travelerholic" and Anne had not traveled at all. The only option, I thought, was to introduce Anne to my world and obsession. Since then we have traveled to....

1989...New Zealand, New South Wales (Snow skiiing) & Northern Territory. (AUS)
1990...Queensland, New South Wales (Snow skiiing) & Thailand. (Honeymoon)
1991...South Australia. (AUS)
1992...Queensland. (AUS)
1993...South Australia & Northern Territory. (AUS)
1994...New South Wales (Snow skiiing) & Victoria. (AUS)
1995...Tasmania & Victoria. (AUS)
1996...Bali, Northern Territory & South Australia.
1997...New South Wales Snow skiiing. (AUS)
1998...Vanuatu.
1999...Canada, United States, Mexico & Hawaii.
2000...Canada & United States.
2001...Vanuatu.
2002...South Australia, Western Australia & Northern Territory. (AUS)
2003...Fiji & New Zealand.
2004...South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique & Singapore.
2005...Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Singapore, New Caledonia, Vanuatu & The Isle of Pines.
2006...Noumea, Isle of Pines, Mystery Island, Wala, Luganville, Lamen Bay, Port Vila, Vanuatu & Queensland. (AUS)
2007...New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
2008...China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
2009...England, Egypt, Jordan, France and United States.

PLANNED TRIPS:

2010... Alaska, Canada and mainland USA.
2011... South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
2012... Peru and Galapagos Islands.
2013... Russia

Live your own life, run your own race, find your own answers and enjoy everything you do.

Have you ever noticed that "the extra mile" has the least amount of traffic on it? Why don't more people go that extra mile?

I try and realise every dream that I have ever had and I believe that when you die that you should have no regrets. To me, the only bad holiday is the holiday you never took!

I love taking my wife on adventures around the world!

In September 2005 Anne and I traveled to Europe to experience Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France.

We flew into Rome, and after spending a fantastic 5 days here, we hired a car and drove for 6 weeks. We took in Pompeii, Positano, Amalfi, Florence, Venice, Salzburg, and Munich, most of Switzerland and France before spending 5 days in Paris.

I must say that I was a little skeptical at first about the “romantic city” as I felt that most people just said the same thing so as not to upset everyone else. I was wrong.

To me, Paris is the most exciting city in the world! It hides a lifetime of cultural delights.

I found all of the sites and attractions to be of the highest caliber, the city was clean and comfortable, I felt safe at all times, the transport was second to none, the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de triumph, Champs Elise, Seine River and parks were simply stunning. Anne also enjoyed Moulin Rouge.

This city of lights has world class attractions… Anne and I must return to Paris!

FOOT NOTE:

Anne and I have recently cashed in some frequent flyer miles and booked an around the world airfare. We will be flying…

Brisbane – Sydney - Bangkok – London – Cairo – (20 day land trip to) Amman – Paris – New York – Miami - Las Vegas - (5 day road trip, via Grand Canyon & Yosemite to) - San Francisco – Sydney - Brisbane.

Our dream of returning to Paris has arrived!

The Amalfi Coast lies just north of Salerno. It is one of the most delightful destinations in Campania.

This spectacular coastline which embraces the charming resort towns of Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Ravello invites us to imagine ourselves back in the sunny carefree days of the sixties - for here the beauty and romance of those times have not changed.

The people here have a strong affinity with their beloved coast and they have perfected the art of living: they are part of the elements surrounding them. Life here still revolves around the sun and sea, the enjoyment of simple pleasures. Driving along the coast, past the green terraces of grapevines, the groves of lemon and olive trees which sweep down the slopes to the clear blue water below, you are presented with a panorama of breathtaking beauty.

The soft greens of hills and valleys, the azure sea and sky, and the warm, faded yellow-pink buildings all meld together in this palette of seductive color. In small villages the air is heavy with the scent of roses and carnations. As you walk along the narrow, paved streets, the pink flowers of the oleanders hang over crumbling stone walls - and the effect is one of mellow beauty.

Together, Anne and I have been to Africa twice, (2004 and 2007,) and we are planning to revisit in 2009.

Our First trip took us to:
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and back to South Africa.

Our Second trip took us to:
South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and back to South Africa.

Our Third trip will take us to:
South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and back to South Africa.

As you can see, Anne and I have travelled all over Africa with Kumuka Overland.

We love this company so much that we are planning to return to Africa in 2009 to complete another 21 day tour. This trip will take us from Cape Town to Victoria Falls via South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and finally Zimbabwe.

Try them, you’ll like their friendly service, well priced tours, excellent guides and fantastic “camp fire” stories. Best of all, they know their way around Africa and they are safe. (And, NO, we don’t work for them!”

Anne & I traveled both islands during October 2003 and we decided to hire a camper van (motor home) for 4 weeks. For extra space we hired a 6 berth van from Pacific Horizon because they were the cheapest, were the only company to pay for all the LPG gas you used and they allow you to take the van on the inter island ferry. They also allow one way rentals free of charges.

We decided to fly into Christchurch and out of Auckland because the air fare was the same, we only had to pay for one crossing on the ferry and it can be cheaper to hire the van because you are taking it back to Auckland for them! (Most rentals are one way from Auckland to Christchurch.)

I could recommend this as a cheap & easy way to see NZ for a group of 6 because....Your accommodation and transport are approx AUS$96.00 per day (AUS$32.00 per couple), You can buy all your own groceries and cook all your own meals, make a tea/coffee or cold drink any time, you can free camp anywhere you like at no cost, diesel fuel is only NZ59cents per litre and at the end of the day, after a big day of sightseeing, you do not have to drive back to your accommodation because you have it with you!
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The van was very comfortable, had a shower and a toilet, stove, cook top, microwave, refrigerator and a heater. Everything in the van ran on 12 volt, gas or electricity.

THE BIG BONUS... you only have to unpack once!!!!

The drive from LA was uneventful and the cruise control came in handy. At 9.30 am, after traversing a barren landscape loaded with hundreds of wind turbines we came across the splendid sight of the city, which we entered via the Bay Bridge. Easy to read signs led us straight to Fisherman’s Wharf and we located a US$9.00 24 hour car park!
First things first, "Brunch" at the famous Fisherman’s Wharf and we both sat down to a huge bowl of seafood chowder (You know, when in Rome.)
After our fill we headed to the booking office for the Alcatraz tour that would take us to "The Rock," only to discover that you should book 2 days in advance & everything was booked solid! A little sweet talking and lots of begging got us two tickets for the "After Hours Tour" departing at 6.20 pm.
OK, 7 hours to get back for the tour. We ventured along the Embarcadero beside the bay to where a cable car line terminates and is only a few blocks easy walk from Fisherman's Wharf. Here we watched the motormen manually rotate the cars to face them up the hill. We boarded this cable car and rode it downtown where we explored for an hour or so before returning along the same route, alighting at the top of Lombard Street, "The crookedest street in America" This is where this picture is taken from. We then walked down Lombard Street, stopping to enjoy the view and talk with some locals before walking back down toward the water which includes several piers that have been converted to specialty shopping malls, seafood restaurants and gift shops.
This area is also where we found Pier 39 and watched its colony of California sea lions play for around an hour. After watching the sea lions we headed to Pier 41 and waited for the Alcatraz tour which turned out to be one of the most enjoyable tours that we have ever done.
The tour began with the crew lining us up to have our photo taken so that they could rip us off for the photo when we got back! We refused to have the photo taken and they got a little upset, but I told her to get over it! Once the ferry departed the view across the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and the nearing Alcatraz prison were spectacular. The ferry circled the Alcatraz Island &, after docking, we stepped ashore. The cool breeze added to the atmosphere and we were grouped into three separate groups. As we walked up the steep road that leads to the prison itself the guides stopped for us to catch our breath and tell stories and tales of the history of Alcatraz.
Once at the top we were handed a map of the site and a "waterproof" walkman that included a narrated guide of the complex. This tour was nothing short of brilliant as it instructed you to follow a pre determined course and asked you to stop at all of the sites of interest along they way, providing gripping stories of prisoners, events and their outcomes. The beauty of this tour was that we could stop the tape and look around before continuing! At the end of the self guided tour, as all tours should, you finish in the gift shop at the top of the road that will take you back to the dock. Of course there were many souvenirs to be had such as t-shirts and books.
The interesting thing for us is that Alcatraz tours also include additional, free of charge, guided tours on a number of subjects such as "The bird man of Alcatraz" tour that gave you all the "inside running" on the Birdman. All of these free tours actually finish right back at the dock and most people get back on the ferry. NOT US! We returned to the top and did all 4 free tours, the self tour and also looked around until the last ferry departed! I can recommend this tour because it starts in day light hours, finishes after sunset, is less crowded and the lights of the city on your return ferry trip are something to behold.

Western Australia is the nation’s largest state and covers an area of 2,529,000 kilometers. This area represents one third of the total area of Australia and in geographical terms, Western Australia is the country’s most remote state and has some of the oldest landscapes on the planet.

Anne and I spent one week traveling to and from Western Australia and five weeks touring the state at a comfortable pace. We did not spend much time in Perth or Fremantle because we wanted to experience everything else the state had to offer outside of the big cities.
Our trip saw us enter the state from South Australia at Border Village and drive across the Nullarbor Plain to Norseman. From there we headed south to Esperance before traversing the south of the state through Albany, Bunberry, Rottnest Island and Fremantle to Perth. From here we headed north through Cervantes, Geralton and Kalbarri to Denham, home of the famous Monkey Mia Dolphins.
Heading north again saw us travel through Carnarvon, Coral Bay to Exmouth where we went Snorkeling with the Whale sharks of Ningaloo Reef.
Turning north east we traversed through Tom Price and the Karijini National Park, Port Headland, Broome, Derby, The Gibb River road, Fitzroy crossing and Halls Creek before ending this In adventure at Kununurra and the Northern Territory border