by Jim Garland on June 22, 2011
We spent one night at a hotel in Christ Church before we picked up our Camper Van and headed out to explore the South and North Islands of New Zealand. Everything we laid our eyes on was absolutely gorgeous–Mt Cook and its glaciers, Kaikoura’s marine life, Marlborough wine country, Wellington’s Te Papa Museum, Lake Taupo, Rotorua’s geothermal pools–New Zealand was a favorite spot for all of us. While traveling in the Camper Van, we celebrated two birthdays, hit one car, crossed the Cook Strait on a ferry, and scared dozens of sweet, innocent New Zealand sheep. Many thanks to Karen and Courtney for helping us navigate through the “land of the kiwis!”
by Jim Garland on May 31, 2011
We flew from Singapore to Australia and LOVED visiting Melbourne and Sydney. There was a Comedy Festival going on in Melbourne so we fit right in. (ha ha) We stayed further up the eastern coast of Australia in a beach town called Noosa for a few weeks. Other than a quick trip to lay our eyes on the Great Barrier Reef, we hunkered down in Noosa to sleep, eat, surf, and study. We enjoyed seeing Bob Kramer, his wife Jo, and their new son Cooper. Bob’s mom and Granny have been friends for 40 years in Alexandria!!
by Jim Garland on May 12, 2011
We sailed through Asia aboard the “Diamond Princess” and enjoyed her comforts, dining rooms (!), ping pong tables, swimming pools….and ports of call! South Korea’s Silla Dynasty, Hong Kong’s harbor, Vietnam’s rice paddies, Thailand’s Grand Palace and Singapore’s architecture–we loved them all and hope to see them again someday. We are in Australia now and head to New Zealand next week. After that, it’s a week in Fiji, a visit with Christine in L.A. and then back to Virginia to the lives we left last summer. We hope you have enjoyed this ride as much as we have–we would start it all over again, but we also cannot WAIT to be where are hearts lie–home.
by Jim Garland on May 8, 2011
