MICHAEL PALIN SAID:
Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.
MY FAVORITE STATEMENT:
Work, Save. Travel, Repeat...
Here is Farida with her meal at our favorite restaurant in Taos NM. Lamberts Of Taos is top rated but it will not make you broke paying the bill..
What I personally like the best.
Many of these photos will be photos of old photos that were taken by the Kodak and Fuji one time processing, throw away cameras that I used to buy before the days of cell phones. I consider these as my "Best Of" photos. A common denomiter of these photos is that they all have at least one family member, an animal in them, or some kind of art (art from Heaven or art from man) as well as a location outside the home. I ordered the photos in order of distance, from New Mexico and then further afield as the gallery is scrolled downwards.
This is my favorite photo taken of Farida and Reno in the clouds on top of Sandia Mountain. We were here to eat at Ten 3 which is a fine dining restaurant. Which is why we are dressed for dinner, not for hiking. 😄
Shopping around in Santa Fe NM. We often go to Santa Fe for Faridas' birthday so I am often (almost yearly) buying her birthday presents in shops like this. There are many shops and local cafes like this in the Santa Fe New Mexico Old Town Plaza neighborhood. New Mexico state is in southwest USA. There are also a few international shops in this area such as Häagan Das Ice Cream Shop.
Magpies are very common at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs CO. sitting at the Mountain View restaurant, we saw several magpies visiting.
Deer, (Rusa, Ciervo) on Manitou Mountain.
This is one of my favorite photos because it is a decent shot of a rainbow (art from Heaven) and it is from a place different from where we live. The location is the 6th floor hotel room at the Antlers Hotel. I have a hard time getting good photos of rainbows so I had to archive this one here. This view is looking towards downtown Colorado Springs.
Traveling around and into the Grand Canyon. There are many National Parks around the region of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Reno is on the left and Rayhend is on the right. I do not know why Farida is not in this photo.
Farida at the John Lennon Memorial in Central Park NYC. I posted this photo at this time because I felt bad about the meager donations I was making to help the Ukrainians while Russia was attacking them. I thought that I could post a couple of photos from this place because it is a reminder that it is possible for all of us to live together in a better way. I posted a different photo of the John Lennon Memorial on my Arrived in New York City page. I also posted a video from here on my video page. 🙂 . This memorial is very close to the Dakota Condos Building where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived. I believe Yoko Ono still lives there.
It will cost about $65 for a tour of Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Cruises around Liberty Island and Ellis Island will cost around $34. There is also a Statue Of Liberty Museum here. Although the island is technically within the waters of New Jersey, it is an enclave of New York City's' burrough of Manhatten.
Here is Reno taking a photo in the Hoh Rainforest. This trail is called the Hall Of Mosses. It is a very easy loop trail with a height elevation of only about 400 feet. Hoh Rainforest is in Olympic National Park Washington State USA..
And here is Farida taking photos in Hoh Rainforest. The old growth trees covered with moss are a true wonder to behold.
Here is Farida next to The Drop at Coal Harbor in Vancouver BC Canada.
Here is a view of Farida and the Vancouver metropolitan area through a seaplane window. This cost $591.36 for a family of four and was booked on "Get Your Guide" website > Vancouver Canada > Floatplane and Capilano Suspension Bridge Combo. So, yes, there are a few photos from the famous suspension bridge on my website too. .
These totem poles had been carved on site here by the local, indigenous Coast Salish, Haida, and Tlingit peoples. This area of these totem poles is known as Kia'palono. Any one who goes to Capitano Suspension Bridge will walk through this area because Kia'palono is next to the Capitano Bridge Park.
I must like totem poles because two of my favorite photos are from the Kia'palono area. These totem poles are the real thing. They are carved from a few types of trees but Red Cedar Trees are commonly used. The totem poles tell stories. The Bear Pole tells the story of a Bear that brought a starving blind man some fish so he would not die. Raven Story Pole tells the story of trickster Raven who grabbed the sun out of a box where it was being kept by a greedy chief who stole the sun, moon, and stars. Thus, Raven was able to return the sunlight to our world.
Capilano Suspension Bridge shakes and bounces so HANG ON!.
Farida and Reno in front of Multnomah Falls. There are many waterfalls northeast of Portland Oregon and Horseshoe Falls along with this one are must visit places when staying in Portland. You can visit 5 or 6 waterfalls with only a few hours.
Reno can be seen ahead of us on the way up to Multnomah Waterfall. This is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. A tour of the Columbia River Gorge will most likely include a visit to this waterfall along with 3 or 4 others. Multnomah Waterfall is 620 feet high which is about 189 meters. This is on the National Register Of Historic Places.
I studied Tai Chi Chuan
The sifu is strong
The sifu is as strong as the iron crane
The sifu is steady
The sifu is as steady as the water buffalo
The sifu is flexible
The sifu is as fexible as the cobra
The iron crane is stronger than the water buffalo
The iron crane is stronger than the cobra
The water buffalo is more steady than the iron crane
The water buffalo is more steady than the cobra
The cobra is more flexible than the iron crane
The cobra is more flexible than the water buffalo
And the sifu is strong like the iron crane
And the sifu is steady like the water buffalo
And the sifu is flexible like the cobra...
IN THE TOWER OF BASILICA DE LA VOTA NACIONAL, WE WERE ABLE TO RELAX AND SNACK A BIT. I DO NOT KNOW IF ALL THE TOWERS HAVE CAFES IN THEM. WE CLIMBED THE TOWER THAT IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH. I DO NOT KNOW IF PEOPLE WERE CLIMBING THE TOWER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE BECAUSE WE DID NOT SEE ANYONE IN THAT TOWER. WE DID SEE PEOPLE CLIMBING THE THIRD TOWER WHICH IS NOT AS HIGH AS THE TWO FRONT SIDE TOWERS. WE ORDERED TWO HOT TEAS, A TEA WITH MILK, ONE HOT CHOCOLATE AND TWO HUMITAS. I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF THOSE HUMITAS.
THIS VIDEO IS A RATHER LONG WALKING TOUR AROUND THE AREA OF THE HOTEL WHERE WE WERE STAYING. I WAS LOOKING FOR THE BAKERY WHERE I HAVE SHOPPED A COUPLE OF TIMES ALREADY AND FOR A DESSERT PLACE CALLED GELATO MIX. I FOUND THEM AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF OTHER INTERESTING PLACES. WE CAN SEE HAPPY PANDA CHINESE RESTAURANT FROM OUR HOTEL WINDOW.
THE BAKERY IS NEXT TO THE HOTEL; PANIFICADORA AMBATO. GELATO MIX IS LOCATED ONE CITY BLOCK FURTHER DOWN AVE. 12 DE OCTUBRE. CAFÉ QUITO IS AT THE SWISSÔTEL QUITO WHICH IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR HOTEL. THERE IS ALSO AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT CALLED LA BRICIOLA AT THE CORNER OF AV. ISABELLS CATÓLICA AND FRANCISCO SALAZAR. SAN HONORÉ AND MUSA RESTAURANTE ARE ALSO GOOD SOUNDING PLACES IN THEIS AREA.
OH, AND WHILE AT CAROLINA PARK, WE TRIED THE ESPUMILLA. WE DID NOT REALLY LIKE IT. THE TOP PART WAS RATHER FUNKY. THE TEXTURE IS ODD AND THE FLAVORS DID NOT STAND OUT ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR THE STRANGE TEXTURE. WE DID LIKE THE BOTTOM PART THAT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL TYPES OF FRUIT PIECES SOAKING IN A DELICIOUS RED SAUCE. ESPUMILLA IS A TRADITIONAL ECUADORIAN DESSERT. IT IS A FOAM, NOT AN ICE CREAM, WHICH IS WHY IT IS NOT MELTING AS VENDORS SELL IT IN THE STREETS. IT IS MERINGUE WITH EGG WHITES, SUGAR, AND PUREED FRUIT. THE FRUIT IS SOAKING IN A RED BERRY SYRUP. THAT LAST PART IS GOOD.
WE SPENT SUNDAY IN SHOPPING CENTERS AND PARKS. WE FIRST WENT TO PLAZA OF THE AMERICAS. IT IS REALLY SMALL WITH FEW SHOPPING OPTIONS. IT DOES HAVE A FEW NICE CAFES AND A LARGE CINEMA. THE PLAZA OF THE AMERICAS IS SMALL BUT COZY. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A SQUARE PARK WITH SHOPS, CAFES, AND CINEMARK SURROUNDING IT. AFTER WE LEFT PLAZA DE LAS AMERICAS, WE WALKED DOWN TO PARQUE CAROLINA. WE STOPPED TO TAKE A PHOTO AT A FUNKY STATUE. I COULD NOT FIND A NAME FOR THIS STATUE OF FOUR CHILDREN SITTING ON A BENCH TALKING TO EACH OTHER. IT IS IN A TINY PARK AND MAY BE CALLED DESCANSO. WE THEN CONTINUED WALKING UNTIL WE REACHED THE VERY LARGE PARK. IT HAS A VIVARIUM HERE. IT IS A SMALL SAMPLE OF REPTILE SPECIMENS INDIGIONOUS TO ECUADOR. THERE IS A SUPERMAXI SHOPPING CENTER ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SOUTHERN END OF CAROLINA PARK SO WE WENT THERE TO BUY COLD MEDICINE FOR RENO WHO MAY HAVE GOTTEN A HEAD COLD. WE RELAXED AT A SPECIAL PLACE CALLED REPUBLIC DE CAFÉ. THERE IS A VIDEO HERE ABOUT JUST THAT. IMMEDIATLY ON THE SOUTHERN END OF PARQUE CAROLINA IS A METRO STATION. ONCE I SAW THE STATION ENTRANCE, I DECIDED WE SHOULD TRY IT OUT. IT IS GREAT. IT IS STILL NEW AND MADE TO BE EASILY USED BY THE MOST UNITIATED PERSONS IN METRO USE. IT ALSO COSTS ONLY .45 CENTS FOR ADULTS. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE USED IT. I TOOK A VIDEO OF IT WITH MY CELL PHONE SO I MAY UPLOAD IT HERE ALTHOUGH VIDEOS FROM MY CELL PHONE COME UP SMALLER HERE. WE GOT OUT AT PARQUE EJIDO METRO STATION. AFTER TAKING A COUPLE OF PHOTOS OF WRITERS (THERE ARE MANY STATUES OF POETS AND NOVELISTS HERE), WE WAKED THE REST OF THE WAY TO THE HOTEL.