Cartagena was still filled with unexplored corners. We’d already spent longer than planned, but the streets lined with bright-hued houses, flower-clad balconies, small cafes and shops had hypnotized us. We…

Intro to Pucon Many of the destinations in the Don’t Skip series are off the beaten track. That’s not the case with Pucon, which is hardly unknown. As a matter…

Route 6: from the Sierra Nevadas to Cape Cod? The Sierra Nevada mountains cover 400 miles along the border of California and Nevada. We crossed the Sierras and into Inyo County…

Jeju Island Not sure if we can agree with the title “Bali of Korea,” but Jeju is indeed a pretty island. Volcanic and subtropical, Jeju is filled with natural beauty…

Arriving in Kagoshima in the late afternoon, we checked in and relaxed for a bit before heading back out for dinner. It was great to see Miwa, who was in…

Leaving San Francisco for the last time this year marked another step closer to finishing this tour.  Since it’s college football season,  there are plenty of events left, but that…

    We were blessed with a full view of the usually cloudy Arenal Volcano on the way into its closest town, La Fortuna.  A few clouds had formed by…

In Pucon we had definitely arrived in another tourist-centric town, but a lovely one.  Its lakeside setting with black sand beach and the backdrop of Villarrica Volcano is gorgeous, and…

Rotorua Population-wise Rotorua is a big city (over 70,000 or so).  We were advised it might seem overly commercial for our liking, but we wanted to experience the often talked…

After our Alpine Crossing we needed a day of taking it easy, so we head to the thermal pools near Taupo.  I had a very relaxing mud wrap and massage…