dgines' VirtualTourist Home Page

I've been fortunate enough to have the time, opportunity and means to travel to various places around the world--much of it alone. I inherited the travel bug from my mom, who takes one major trip a year and has done so for as long as I can remember. As a child, I never understood why she would go off to faraway places around the globe without me, but as an adult I've come to realize the importance of finding oneself through life experiences--a feat not easily accomplished, especially if she would have tried to take 3 young children along on her journey.

I decided to build this website as a chronicle of my travels and to share my experiences with family and friends. I hope you find it helpful and entertaining, but most of all, I hope it inspires you to start treking and enjoying all the world has to offer.

I left Okinawa and finished a trip through SE Asia and China, but the most important part of my journey was to visit my dad, who I haven't seen in 10 years, in the Philippines.

I spent Christmas and New Years vacation in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

I've been out to the Sinai 4 times in the last 2 months mainly to scuba dive, but I also climbed Mt. Sinai and saw the decendant of the burning bush.

I also spent a week in Kuwait and will be back in the States and Germany in the next couple of weeks.

Completed a Med Cruise to Greece, Turkey and Italy. We got a really good price through vacationstogo.com

I dove the Thistlegorm Wreck over Labor Day weekend, attended a conference in Stuttgart, Germany and went on a safari to see Africa's big 5 and visit the Masai Tribe in Kenya. Great Times!

I also spent the last week on September and all of October in the states--I did a major city tour: Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Hartford, NYC, and Washington DC. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon to end the trip.

I flew back to Egypt on Halloween and prepared to move back to Japan.

I spent the winter snowboarding almost every weekend at different resorts around northern Japan.

In March, I traveled to Tokyo to catch the A's vs Red Sox opening series at the Tokyo Dome.

In May, I traveled to Oahu, Cozumel and Kyoto.

June has been all about work, work, work....

It looks like I'll be moving to San Diego soon. I hope to travel to Baja/Cabo and Central and South America from here. I want to get to the Galapagos Islands for sure.

San Diego
I plan to continue diving in San Diego.

Belize
- Travel north into Mexico to see what I missed on the last trip - Chichen niza
- Diving, diving, diving

Chile
- Santiago (Bellavista Neighborhood), Patagonia

Peru
- Machu Picchu

My husband also insists we get to Fiji. We're looking at 2010 for this.

I'd like to dive in Indonesia
- Bangka Island, Lembeh Strait, Bunaken Island

Puerto Rico
- Yellow Reef