January 12, 2025
MACHU PICCHU, PERU
WOW! This place is magical! I would also call it organized chaos! There are so many travelers in town, and the first Sunday of each month, when we are there, is free for all local Peruvians. Shockingly it all moves very well - we get the bus to the top of the mountain in a fast moving but very large long line and find our guide right when we get off the bus. We even find the sweet girl, Hi Brittany Mahoney! I sat next to her on the train and we had a great chat about life and love!. She is an MBA student from Houston, and traveling alone and she rides the bus up with us. We entered Machu at 9 am and toured with out wonderful guide until about 11:45. Everything we had been learning about these ancient civilizations really came together while listening to our guide. He really was great at filling in the pieces of the big picture. I also think our questions were more focused, as we gained more info from the multiple days of touring.
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We toured Machu Picchu from 9 am to roughly noon , then took bus back down to Aguas Calientes and had a leisurely lunch at a restaurant overlooking the river rapids. Then we went to the towns natural hot spring pools and relaxed in the heated waters. After, we picked up our stuff at Inn and hustled, to the train station for the 4+ hour trek back to Cusco. I got to dance with mythical character on train ride back too! Stayed at same inn we had been at day before. Think we all dropped into our beds as soon as we checked in. LONG but GREAT DAY!
Little India is a neighborhood in Singapore that I wanted to explore becase I love Indian food and their Temple's have such unique gods and Architecture, super colorful and detailed. Below is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Singapore's first temple dedicated to Veeramakaliammam or the Kali , a fierce incarnation of Shiva's wife and the "Destroyer of Evil" .
Other residents had a great experience at Singapore's Food Playground on prior visits, so we wanted to try it out! Our first day in Port, twelve of us signed up for a fun afternoon, where we got to enjoy our creations as a yummy lunch. Front row (L to R) is Ellie, Rick, their visiting friend, Sue, Christy and Angela. Back Row - Me, Bosco, Delia, John, Terri & Lori.
We just relaxed on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand. It's one of the largest Thai Islands in the Gulf of Thailand and it has a dense, steep jungle & National Park covering the interior of the Island, which extends off shore, to coral reefs. The coast line is dotted with beaches and villages. This was a tender port, so we decided to stay on the Island for 3 nights, to be able to experience the nightlife. Turns out, it is low season, so nightlife was pretty sleepy. However, we did find a new favorite night time activity! Any Guesses?!?