A bit of a turn from the normal

While exploring my neighborhood has been both eye opening and enjoyable, I discovered a treasure trove of adventures when I digitized the slides from my travels way back in the Pleistocene era (the 1980s). So, for those of you too young to know about that era, it was before Instagram and YouTube. The camera was a big bulky piece of equipment with film that didn't translate that well into slides, but was considered great stuff at the time. In the '80s I was fortunate enough to travel to several countries: Tahiti, Fiji, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Malaysia. Then, as luck would have it, I was invited to sail among the Greek Islands shortly after. The wonderful thing about traveling then was the lack of over-tourism and influencers. Yes, there were the occasional unruly people who could make something unpleasant, but for the most part, crowds were not huge, people were respectful, and traveling was easy and pleasant. Pre-9/11 air travel was a breeze.

True to form, it was rare for me to take pictures of people though sometimes that was unavoidable. I tried to stick to natural landscapes, animals, and definitely architecture. Posts will mostly be without too much in the way of explanation, mostly because I don't remember exactly where a lot of the shots were taken. Some like the Taj Mahal, or the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be instantly recognizable, but many of the nature shots could be from anywhere. If I know, you'll know.

So let's get started:

Those of you who are fans of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series will know what this is:

Well actually, this is in Nepal, discovered on a bus trip to view what we know as Mount Everest, and what the Nepalis call Sagarmatha. No, I had no interest in going to base camp or climbing the mountain. Viewing it from afar was good enough. But seeing The Restaurant at the End of the Universe was truly a find.

After river rafting down to an area in Nepal famous for its elephants and rhinos, this was the adventure of a lifetime. Yes, I'm ashamed I rode elephants, but made up for it by happily washing them down in the river. They appreciate a good rub down with a large stone and sand from the river bed. Then they happily spray you with their trunks. I wanted to stay with them all day, but their keepers suggested I go and get lunch. Reluctantly, I did. 

The rhinos have single horns, unlike those in Africa, and they are severely endangered. Seeing one was thrilling to say the least.

And thus begins the trips of a lifetime.