4 hours worth of workshops wrapped up and our small group gathered for a drive over to Waiheke island by boat.  Our guide Gary drive us around this slice of paradise with never ending vistas, beaches and windy roads. An amazing discovery.  As on previous excursions, our tour included wine tasting and a fantastic meal… Continue reading Discovered Paradise – Waiheke island

After s long 3 hour wait, the technician declared the highly anticipated flight on a Dreamliner cancelled. This is s good reminder for everyone flying that sometimes things happen. That is why it is essential to have travel insurance to cover unexpected expenses.  We are all at an airport hotel awaiting updates on our next… Continue reading Flight cancelled

After a fabulous day with our Western Australia sales manager Sandy and our amazing driver Peter (Go in style), we are now all gathered at the Quantas lounge ahead of my long anticipated flight on Air NewZealand Boeing 787-9 to Auckland. Due to technical issues boarding has been delayed.  Throughout the day, we visited the… Continue reading Bye bye Pearth

The most spectacular coast line of Australia's West coast. This secret spot along the "Cape to Cape" walking trail that spans 137 kilometers along unspoiled coastline is just breathtaking. It is even more special for me as I had to hike through the tiger snake mating area with low brush and all. Not fun for… Continue reading Adventure day in Margaret River

Another restful night behind me, I rose before sunrise and walked to a scenic overlook with Pam, one of my fellow travelers to watch the sun rise over Australia  Enjoy. 

After a short 5 hour flight within the same time zone, we arrived in Perth. The most important thing first, temps dropped to mid 70s and the humidity is gone. It only took a few mi utes to get acclimated and feel like L.A. Weather again.  Back in 1992/93, I had travelled through Perth with… Continue reading Welcome to Western Australia

Our time in Singapore is rapidly coming to an end. While I won't miss the humidity, I will miss the cleanliness,orderliness, and as my traveling companion Matt Knowles noted "2 days without sirens". We never heard a police car or ambulance in a city of 5.3 million, that is an accomplishment.  We are now saying… Continue reading Raffles Hotel – final thoughts

Back at the hotel after our cultural tour to chill out and cool off. The one thing none of the pictures present is the heat and humidity factor of this city. Less than 2 degrees away from the equator, it is pretty much like this all year round. In sumple terms it's always hot and… Continue reading Raffles Hotel continued…

As promised in my last post, the Singapore story continued for us with a cultural tour of the city's ethnic neighborhoods. However, before that I need to share with you the luxurious accommodations we are experiencing at the world renowned Raffles Hotel.  This gem of colonial architecture in the heart of the city was built… Continue reading Raffles Hotel and beyond

As promised, her is my report of the amazing site visit to the Sands Hotel & Casino. Sharp at 430pm local time we arrived at the property to be greeted by Hannah, one of the sales managers.  Our tour of this 2552 room hotel began in tower #3. We saw the standard "deluxe room" which… Continue reading Marina Bay Sands – in detail

In true world traveler fashion, we landed at 605am local time (I am now 15 hours ahead of pacific standard time) and hit the ground running. We hit up he historic Fullerton Hotel for a shower at their Spa, followed by a breakfast out of this world. The buffet spanned all five continents and provided… Continue reading Singapore in-debt

Landed relaxed at Changi International Airport terminal 3. Immigration and customs were super fast and off we went into the heat and humidity of this tropical city state of 5.3 million.  More about this amazing place later but I could not help myself to post a first pic of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Pardon… Continue reading Singapore here we come

Eager with anticipation for this new aircraft (see previous blog) I boarded flight 479 on time at Johannesburg airport.  Once on board, I was immediately taken by the spacious layout of the cabin. Remember this is a wide-body aircraft and most carriers put at least 5 seats across if not more. On Singapore Airlines its… Continue reading Airbus 350-900 on Singapore Airlines