Quest for the World's Nicest Beach - Part 1

Now if the Seychelles are famous for anything, it's beautiful sandy beaches. They grace the covers of travel magazines, and have been the settings for Bacardi commercials and Hollywood movies. And now that the weather has improved, we have taken it upon ourselves to search out the best that this little African country has to offer.

Day of the Tortoise

Things move pretty slowly in the Seychelles, so it made sense that we would embark on a day trip to visit the endangered land tortoises on the nearby island of Curieuse.

Goin' to the Sea Shells

"Oh look how the pretty the plane is!" Yes, but that's not a key criteria when flying. I would prefer safe and on time (in that order), but I agree it is a welcoming sight to our new destination, and leaves little doubt that we are again in a tropical paradise - the Seychelles.

Annie's Blog Update

Annie has a new entry for Turkey - check it out here
(if you missed Greece for some reason, it's on the "Annie's Blog - Archive" page)

A Shot of Adrenalin

(warning - contains snake picture)

We knew that our 12 days in South Africa might find us stuck in the car for long periods of time. In Kruger you are not allowed to leave the vehicle, plus there were a few scenic drives we undertook. Additionally, you don't exactly go on wandering walks from your hotel (for personal safety reasons).

Hunting the Big Five

Sorry to my many loyal followers (like the half a dozen of you out there) for not posting during the last week. But there is no internet access when you're in the middle of one of the finest game reserves in the world.

New Country, New Continent, New Hemisphere

Warning - this blog entry contains pictures of snakes and cheap red wine 

(both for the benefit of Lisa C)

Istancredibul

We're wrapping up our third day in Istanbul and getting ready for a new continent tomorrow - Africa!! We've had a great stay in this huge and bustling metropolis, and I thought I would leave you with a few of our observations of this great city where east meets west.

1. We're not fond of overnight buses anymore.

A Very Close Shave

If you think there is something special and wonderful about having your own cave room to wake up in every morning, you're only partly right.

A Magical Place in Cappadocia

With our fantastic little cruise over and done with, we had a one-night stopover in a large coastal city called Antalya. Not too much to see or do (lots of package tourists lined up side by side on the beaches) but we found ourselves a nice little guesthouse in the ancient part of town and managed to stay busy for 24 hours.

Photo op at an ancient site...

Sea to Sky on the Turquoise Coast

We wanted to treat ourselves to a unique Turkish travel experience - a cruise along the beautiful southern coast in a Gulet, a traditional vessel from this region of the eastern Mediterranean.

Just a little farther, kids