Travel Letters

Snaefells Peninsula, Iceland

Snaefells Peninsula

Western Iceland

September 8, 2015

Hello,

I choose the road less travelled. 

Before driving the popular route that heads east along the south coast of Iceland, I decide to drive north from Reykjavik to the Snaefells Peninsula – a road less traveled.

Snaefells is a long, narrow peninsula that pokes out into the Atlantic Ocean.  I encounter misty rain, ubiquitous fog, incessant,  overpowering wind, and a raucous surf that seems determined to smash (and has already smashed) the jagged, black volcanic cliffs that disappear below the waves.  What can I expect out in the middle of the ocean? 

Into the Mountains, Iceland

On the Road

Into the Mountains

Iceland

September 3, 2015

My group tour in Iceland was a short extension of a much longer tour in Greenland.

The goal of this brief Iceland tour was to avoid the well-traveled coastal route and to visit the mountainous areas with few visitors. 

The sites are so remote that we rode in a large, four-wheel drive vehicle along bumpy unpaved roads and across fast rushing streams.

Hong Kong: "The Giant, The Peak, The Park"

Hong Kong
April 16, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

It's about an hour's ferry ride from Central Ferry Pier to Lantau Island, the largest of all of the Hong Kong islands. The ferry is filled with pilgrims to Tian Tan Buddha.

The impressive Giant Buddha, the world's largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha is 30m (98 ft) tall and weighs 250 tons. To reach the terraces surrounding the Buddha, there's a climb of 260 steps. And the stairs are crowded. Everyone and every group poses for a photo or two. Or three.

Vientiane: "Visa Run"

Vientiane, Laos

January 12-16, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Sabai Dee,

Here's a good one:

"The reason I didn't recognize you, Jan, is because when we met six years ago, you were fat. Now you are slim and younger looking."

So said my friend Kia, a lovely Laotian woman, who with her husband Wisai, runs a small restaurant in Vientiane.

So what am I doing in Vientiane?

{C}

Hong Kong: "Lovely 可爱"

Hong Kong 香港
Special Administrative Region
April 13, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Their answers were always the same.

Whenever I asked other tourists what they liked best about Hong Kong, they responded heartily:

"Hong Kong is safe and clean. Transportation is excellent. Service is efficient. Shopping is supreme. The streets are buzzing. The food is good. The sights are impressive."

As one Aussie couple explained, "Hong Kong is lovely."

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