Chichijima, Ogasawara

December 14th, 2011 | By Lee | 7 Comments »

Arriving into the harbor on Chichijima, the main island in the Ogasawara archipelago, was like arriving in the new world. After a long and arduous journey aboard the Ogasawara Maru we pulled into the gorgeous port to throngs of islanders welcoming us to their island. It was very nice to be greeted so warmly after such a long trip; plus the weather couldn’t have been better. So as we disembarked, we sought out the information desk to arrange accommodation for us for three nights and four days. After finally agreeing on a place and price we hunkered down along the water in Omura for what would be a great stay.
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The 25.5 Hour Ferry to Ogasawara

December 5th, 2011 | By Lee | 7 Comments »

The Ogasawara Archipelago is located about 1000 km south of Tokyo. The entire area is administered as a single rural municipality, Ogasawara Village, which itself is a subprefecture of Tokyo. The archipelago consists of four island groups: the Mukojima (Bridegroom Island) group, the Chichijima (Father Island) group, the Hahajima (Mother Island) group, and the Volcano Islands (also known as the Iwoto, or Iwojima, group (the Sulfur Island group)). Chichijima is located at the approximate center of the archipelago and works as the hub of the village.
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#300 Jeju Island

December 3rd, 2011 | By Lee | 5 Comments »

Three years ago, when the Travelers Century Club added Jeju Island to the list of countries that I had to visit to achieve my goal I was a little annoyed. I had already spent some significant time in South Korea proper and Jeju wasn’t exactly the easiest place to get to. You really had to make the effort to get there. In fact, at the time I had never knowingly heard about it. However, as I did my research on the island and what there was to see, I got a little excited. As they recently started marketing it around New York City on billboards and busses, I was intrigued; and when it was recently voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world, I was stoked. So as I planned this trip, which was to originally include Wake Island, I started with Korea and Jeju in mind.
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Antalya and Kemer

September 19th, 2011 | By Lee | 7 Comments »

Southern Turkey is the unknown part of the Mediterranean. Most people don’t think of Turkey for beach holidays and certainly not for Mediterranean style resorts and partying that is unmistakably European with loud music, blaring techno and pool dancing aerobics. Antalya is the biggest city on the Southern Turkish coast. It is pretty quiet by Mediterranean standards and is more family oriented. It is a great place to stay in the old city overlooking a stunning harbor surrounded by natural cliffs and to do activities. Then about 30 miles or so away is the European party playground of Kemer which is in the mold of other Mediterranean hotspots like Ibiza, Ayia Napa, St. Tropez, Eos and Mykonos. The hottest place to stay in the resort town of Kemer is the famous Club Med Kemer. So naturally, that’s exactly what we did. I must say it was an interesting experience that I am still a little befuddled about. I can’t decide if I had more fun or was more confused. Good or bad, what I do know is that Club Med Kemer was a glaring example of the extreme cultural differences between Americans and Europeans.
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A Week Around Romania

September 16th, 2011 | By Lee | 3 Comments »

Romania is an interesting place. This was my second time visiting, the first was in August 2007 and I only got to visit Bucharest, the capital. This time, my friend Mike and I got to see most of the country aside from the Black Sea coast. Romania is a surprising place for Eastern Europe. It has very good food, a loose and free atmosphere, a lot to see and do and it has pretty good infrastructure less a few roads near the Carpathians. Romania is on the surface a great addition to the European Union but unfortunately for me, a few bad incidents marred my time there a bit toward the end of my week stay. But those aside, I had a blast in Romania and am very happy I took the time to really explore and experience Bucharest, Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains.
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Abkhazia and Sochi

September 9th, 2011 | By Lee | 21 Comments »

The last several days have been incredibly interesting for me. I came up from Israel for a night in Moscow and a late night tour of St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. I then headed down to Sochi to catch a car to Abkhazia which was my 299th Travelers Century Club country. Abkhazia was added to the TCC list a few years ago after the most recent conflict in the Caucusus Region. Sochi, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, is the closest airport and would also be a place I would spend a few days. As I now have had a chance to sleep a bit and reflect, I still cannot believe that Sochi will host an Olympics and Abkhazia was one of the more interesting and beautiful places around.
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Sinai, Jordan and Israel

September 8th, 2011 | By Lee | 7 Comments »

So the past 10 days or so have been pretty hectic for me as I have been very, very busy. Since I last posted on Luxor, I have been to: Hurghada; Sinai Peninsula; Jordan; Israel; Moscow; Abkhazia and am now relaxing in Sochi, Russia. Except for Hurghada, Sochi and Abkhazia, all of those were repeat places so I was able to re-visit some favorite places quickly and spend some quality time in new places like Abkhazia. For this post, I am going to quickly go over Hurghada through to Israel which includes the uncanny Petra and will post about Russia and Abkhazia next post as I am behind on my blog and want to get out and enjoy my last day in Sochi on the beach. So here goes.
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Luxor and its Ancient Treasures

September 1st, 2011 | By Lee | 8 Comments »

“Royal Thebes, Egyptian treasure house of countless wealth, who boasts her hundred gates, through each of which, with horse and car, two hundred warriors march.” – Homer, The Iliad, Book IX

From the days of Amenhotep to the days of Napoleon to modern day people like Thomas Cook, ancient Thebes or the modern day Nile River Valley and specifically Luxor have captivated people the world over. Egyptomania is truly mesmerizing. Seeing these ancient treasures kept secret for centuries up close and personal is a visceral feeling of fulfillment. You are experiencing the oldest of treasures and of history that we have here on Earth. It is a very powerful place to be; to see the great River Nile in all its glory; to feel the power of the bygone eras; and to make yourself a small part of the history of the cradle of civilization. Luxor for me was just that; it was awesome.
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Libya for my Birthday

August 30th, 2011 | By Lee | 15 Comments »

It seemed only fitting that Libya, during a historic time of great turmoil, strife and defiance would be the last sovereign nation for me to visit. It was a decision that I really didn’t even give a second thought to. I knew how to do it, where to do it and what to say. I had talked to people who had been; I had read several blogs and stories about people doing it and I was ready. I didn’t know what to expect when and if I got through the border so I didn’t have any set plans and didn’t even have a way of getting there. As usual though, it all worked out for the best and I can honestly say that my short time in Eastern Libya was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
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Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

August 24th, 2011 | By Lee | 3 Comments »

Swakopmund or Swakop as it is commonly called has been high on my list of places to go ever since I heard about its adventure fueled tourism. It is known as the adrenaline capital of Namibia and rivals Victoria Falls for the adrenaline capital of Africa. It also happens to be a beautiful German influenced seaside resort that may resemble something you’d see on holiday on the German Baltic or North Sea more than an African town. Aside from Sossusvlei, Swakop was my top priority and when it came down to deciding between Swakop and Etosha National Park; it was an easy decision. And as usual, it worked out great and I had a blast.
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