Author Archives: Sparky
ATW-2 Day 5: Chengdu, China
We changed planes in Hong Kong two years ago and expected the experience in Chengdu to be similar. It wasn’t. First, the plane parked at a remote location with no skyway and we had to walk down a long metal staircase and get on a bus. No big deal. But the bus traveled, I estimate, … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 4: Sydney, Australia, to Chengdu, China
This was a travel day, but we had a late flight – 9:20pm – so we had nearly a full day in Sydney. We had breakfast with Leo and Gloria again, packed and checked out by 10am. We confirmed on the hotel scale that our bags were (barely) under the 50-pound airline limit. We had … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 3: Sydney Australia
Day 3 in Sydney was another beautiful day and another day when we logged over 10,000 steps walking around the city. We started with another wonderful breakfast at the hotel, then I spent some time editing the photos we have taken on the first two days in Sydney. Then we ventured out in search of … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 2: Sydney, Australia
We had breakfast at the hotel and met Leo and Gloria, a couple from Canada who will be driving around Australia for 5 weeks. The weather was iffy – cloudy, cool and a little drizzle – so we didn’t rush right out after breakfast. Instead we played some knock rummy and Marlene continued to whip … Continue reading
ATW-1 wrapup
The first segment of our around-the-world trip was a 22-night cruise on the Carnival Luminosa, plus one day preceding the cruise. So this is basically a cruise review. The Carnival Luminosa We have now lived on this ship on two separate journeys that combined for 52 nights. We know the ship well. It is a … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 1: Disembarkation in Sydney
This was a busy day. It began early, with me rising before dawn to catch a glimpse of the iconic Sydney Opera House as we docked. I wasn’t disappointed – I got some good photos. But disappointment – and panic – soon followed when I realized that my phone was unable to connect to the … Continue reading
ATW-1 Days 22 & 23: At sea
Our last two days aboard the Carnival Luminosa and the end of ATW-1. Day 22 was pretty sedate. We had breakfast, then I read and worked on the communal jigsaw puzzle ( 3,000 pieces – NO chance that it will be finished before we reach Sydney). I bought a day of internet because I had … Continue reading
“Darkest Fear” by Harlen Coben
Copyright 2000 by Harlen Coben. Published by Dell, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc, New York. This is #7 of 12 in the series of Coben books featuring Myron Bolitar, professional sports agent, former professional basketball star and occasional detective. In this one he is approached by … Continue reading
ATW-1 Day 21: Noumea, New Caledonia
New Caledonia. Another place that I never expected to see. But, after breakfast with Panama and Amy, we saw it. The city, anyway. I am sure there is much more to the country than what we saw in our walking tour, but we are being very frugal – we still have over 4 weeks to … Continue reading
ATW-1 Days 18-20: At sea
Day 18 was one of the 3 sea days on which I purchased the 24-hour internet plan ($30 per day) so I blogged in the morning. We had no breakfast because we were anticipating a large brunch at the Fahrenheit 451 Steak House – the specialty steak restaurant on the Carnival Luminosa – courtesy of … Continue reading