London - May 24-27, 2009

Here we are again at our friend's 300 year old house in London. Norman and Ann Shuker have been great friends for years, and we always enjoy visiting them. We've already made our reservations for the 2012 Olympics.



We visited the Hatfield House where Queen Elizabeth I was staying before she assumed the throne. Above is the new house, which was built from the bricks of the original building that housed the future queen.

This is the only wing remaining from the old house. The tree that Elizabeth was sitting under when she heard the good news is now in storage. We tried to find the new tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted, but were unsuccessful.

We visited the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England. We also walked through the Royal Observatory.

This is our favorite restaurant in Elstree. It is an excellent Chinese restaurant. Our favorite dish is the Peking Duck.

Amsterdam - May 21-24, 2009

We arrived in Amsterdam by train from Brussels. I recognized the train station, since I had painted a picture from my last visit in 1972 (that's a long time ago). I'll have to attempt another painting this summer.



Here are a few photos of the many canals that surround Amsterdam. Our hotel was right on the Prince Canal. The hotel was not one of the best I've stayed at. The room was tiny, and the floor and bed tilted from left to right. It was an experience sleeping without falling out of bed.

There are probably more bikes in Amsterdam then cars. Some had obviously been abandoned for years.

Here are a few examples of the houses in Amsterdam. Most are narrow, since you used to pay taxes based on the width of the building. All have hooks above, used to lift the furniture into the house.

Here's the front of Anne Frank's house. We didn't visit the inside.

What's Amsterdam without the red light district. The girls are in the windows day and night, looking for business. Its amazing how many people are just there looking - women and children. We also tried some of the goods from the coffee houses - guess what's legal in Amsterdam?

Finally, it wouldn't be Holland without tulips - but since we missed the tulip season, here are some colorful roses.

Oh, and here's Eric leaving one of the many Sex Shops. Nothing else needs to be said.

Brussels - May 19-21, 2009

Well, there must be 500 chocolate shops in Brussels. I did pick my favorite and brought home a large box to enjoy until I run out. Guess I'll have to return to get some more.


The first night there, Eric and I went for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. Little did we know that what we thought would cost 40 euros, ending up totalling 133 euros. After a fight with the waiter, we ended up leaving 100 euros, probably still too much. The food was very good, but who needs to eat Maine lobster in Brussels.

This is the Grand Place, one of the finest squares in Europe. Our hotel was a short walk to the Grand Place. We were very lucky with the weather. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air, nothing like the 90 degree weather we left in Orlando.

It wouldn't be Brussels without a stop to see the Mannequin Pis - the peeing boy. On most days he's in costume, as you can see above and below. He stands about a foot high, but always has tourists watching him pee.

One thing I'll remember about Brussels, is the amount of graffiti on the walls. Wherever you looked there was graffiti. I think this was at the main library.

This is the Brussels Atomium, which was built for the 1958 Universal Exhibition. We didn't get there early enough to ride to the top and slide down. Another reason to revisit Brussels. We saw a lot in two days, but looked forward to visiting Amsterdam.

Hong Kong - Octobert 27-31

Hong Kong is the final stop on the second half of my around the world adventure. It is also one of my favorite cities to visit. On my first day I walked from my hotel to Central Hong Kong Island, about 2 or 3 miles. I then took the Star Ferry to Kowloon - across the bay. This time I traveled like a Hong Kong local with my Octopus Card - good on the ferries, busses and metro.

That evening I returned to Kowloon - where all the night action is. I love going to the markets which are only open at night. I was in the mood to buy something, but only got a few small items.

My hotel was near the fish market and I thought you wanted to see what I didn't eat.

On my second day I went to Lantau Island to visit the Giant Buddha. It was amazing to see this statue on top of the mountain. Of course I had to climb to the top twice, since I had my camera set on the wrong settings the first time.

Here I am at the bottom of the mountain with the Buddha in the background. There must have been over two hundred steps to the top.

This is the Po Lin Monastery at the Tian Tan Buddha Statue. I had a vegetarian lunch here, which was mainly mushrooms and rice. First course mushroom soup. Second course mushrooms and veggies. Third course mushrooms and bokchoy. I skipped the mushroom tart.

On the way back I stopped at Disneyland Hong Kong. Here is a picture of the train to get there. It is a much smaller park, and there were very few people on the grounds outside the park. I walked to the resort hotel, which looked identical to the ones at DisneyWorld.

Here's the sign at the entrance to the park.

On the next day I went to Macao, the Las Vegas of Hong Kong. Here's the Venetian Hotel, which was exactly like the one in Las Vegas, including the indoor canal and shopping mall. I could not believe how large the casino was, much larger than the ones I've seen in Las Vegas. I didn't even wager one of my Hong Kong dollars.

This is one of the other amazing casinos in Macao.

And so ends my around the world adventure. I had a fantastic flight from Hong Kong to JFK. Because I gained 12 hours, I think I had six meals on October 31. Now I'll stay home, at least for a few weeks. I hope you enjoyed viewing and sharing in my adventures.

Delhi - October 26

Today is my last day in Delhi. I visited Old Delhi two days before Diwali - The Festival of Lights. It is similar to our Fourth of July, with fireworks everwhere. The markets are usually closed on Sunday, but because of the holiday everything was open.

This picture was taken outside Delhi - you can see the trash on the dirt sidewalk. This is a common scene throughout India. Trash is just thrown anywhere.

And finally here I am in one of the three wheeled cabs. I rented it for two hours for about $5. I felt safer in this cab than I did in any other car in Delhi, probably because the speed was limited.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India October 25

Wake up call was 4:30am for the long ride to the Taj Mahal. All the trains had been booked well in advance. I tried to sleep in the car, but the driver drove with his horn, changing lanes constantly - two reqruiements for driving in Delhi. The sky was dark and covered with fog and smog - would it clear? The driver almost fell asleep at the wheel and hit the curb, but luckily he recovered quickly and we made him stop for some stron tea. Still two hours to go.

We finally made it - I paid $15 for admission and my local guide paid $.50. The first sight of the Taj Mahal was like the first time you see the Grand Canyon, Machu Piccho, or the Pyramids. Truly amazing with 50+ picutres to show for it.

Here's the cutest picture of me, holding the Taj Mahal in my fingers. Seeing the Taj Mahal made the long horrible drive worth it - but would I survive the return ride.

We left the Taj Mahal around noon and for the first 2-3 hours the traffic was fine. But when we reached the outskirts of Delhi the traffic stopped. Remember there are no rules - you drive where you want, even in the wrong direction. You ignore all lights. There are animals on the streets - see photo below, walking of just sitting. There are camel drawn carts, millions of motorscooters and taxis, all tring to merge from 8 lanes to 2 lanes. No one gives an inch - you are packed in like sardines. I'm sure you get the picture and after 4 1/2 hours I was back at the hotel for a well needed drink or two.

Here a picture of one of the taxis I took to dinner. After dinner I fell asleep around 7:30pm and woke up at 10am the next morning.

New Delhi, India October 24 Posting One

I arrived in New Delhi on the evening following two long flights from Bali to Tokyo and then Tokyo to Delhi. Upon arrival, I arranged for a prepaid taxi to my hotel. That was my first experience in Delhi traffic, lot looking forward to more. No one follows any traffic rules - but I'll get into the details later.
My hotel was very nice, and following dinner, I called it a day.

On the 24th my first mission was to buy my prescription drugs. I heard they were cheaper than in Argentina and they were. I now have an 18 month supply of everything.

I hired a car for a four hour city tour. Of the 4 hours, at least 2 1/2 was stuck in traffic.

I did see the Qutab Pinar - the tallest tower in New Delhi build in the 13th century (pictured above).

I then visited the Lotus Baha'i Temple which reminded me of the Sydney Opera House.

Humayon's Tomb was next, from the 16th century and was the forerunner to the Taj Mahal.

We finally stopped at the India Gate - which is a memorial to the Indian Soldiers killed in World War I.