Hey It's Good To Be Back Home Again!
A magnificent view of downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Friday May 1, 2015
Well, it’s been an extraordinary trip! But after 150 days, it sure was nice to be back home !
We visited a total of 45 ports in 29 countries on six (6) continents. After 30,235 nautical miles, there were countless beautiful photographs and video clips. It was a matchless experience and a ramerkable journey !
Here’s the list of the new places and highlights of where we visited :
PONTA DELGADA - was our last port stop prior to crossing the Atlantic. Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island, is the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal. As the Azores' capital city, Ponta Delgada serves as a gateway to the archipelago's famous crater lakes, volcanoes, and rugged coastline. Despite being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and over a thousand miles away from the mainland, you immediately feel the same great atmosphere that you find in all of the nicest cities in Portugal.
SEVILLE , SPAIN -is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is home to some of the country's famed traditions like flamenco and bullfighting. The picturesque town is world-famous for its enticing mix of Moorish, Christian and Jewish architecture and history, as well as some of the most delicious tapas found in southern Spain.
POMPEII, NAPLES , ITALY - Pompeii is a must-visit attraction that no one should miss. This massive archeological site is the best way to glimpse the daily life of ancient Romans. We highly recommend taking a Pompeii tour to fully appreciate the history here.
MESSINA, ITALY - Messina is known for being Sicily's capital city when the region was a powerful kingdom. It is a prized, special spot with a lively atmosphere and a cuisine that makes it an icon to celebrate on the altar of taste.
EPHESUS, TURKEY - It was an ancient port city whose well-preserved ruins are in modern-day Turkey. The city was once considered the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. Throughout history, Ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed hands many times between conquerors. Ephesus is home to one of the seven wonders of the world.
The Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This temple is dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis. The temple was twice the size of any other Greek temple and had 127 columns which were 18.3 metres (60 ft) high and 1.2 metres (4 ft) in diameter. It took workers 120 years to finish the temple.
Ephesus is a UNSECO site
The site of Ephesus has many well-preserved Roman ruins. It is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. It is for this reason that UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage list in 2015. UNESCO says “The Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city, with sea channel and harbour basin.”
Ephesus is an important site in Christianity. Ephesus appears multiple times in the New Testament. The oldest reference to Ephesus in the New Testament is in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. It reads: “If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it?” (1 Cor 15:32). The ancient city is also home to the very first Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her last years in Ephesus with Saint John. You can visit her house and John’s tomb.
MASADA and THE DEAD SEA, ISRAEL - We visited two of Israel's most popular tourist destinations in the Negev Desert.
First was Masada which is an ancient fortress in southern Israel’s Judean Desert. It's on a massive plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. A cable car and a long, winding path climb up to the fortifications, built around 30 B.C. Among the ruins are King Herod's Palace, which sprawls over 3 rock terraces, and a Roman-style bathhouse with mosaic floors. The Masada Museum has archaeological exhibits and recreations of historical scenes.
The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth. IIt was a dream trip. It was fun and exciting to experience it. The high salt content means you become incredibly buoyant; floating here is nothing like floating in your typical swimming pool or ocean! You'll find yourself more on top of the water than in it. It's a strange feeling and one that might take a few minutes to get used to.
PETRA, JORDAN -is a famous archaeological site half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges in Jordan's southwestern desert. Dating to around 300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs, earning its nickname, the "Rose City." Perhaps its most famous structure is 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, and known as The Treasury.
Walking along the dusty roads of Petra is an amazing experience. Not only is it a Wonder of the World, but it's also an ancient city that was used by civilizations over 2000 years ago.
MUSCAT AND SALALAH, OMAN -Muscat, Oman’s port capital, sits on the Gulf of Oman surrounded by mountains and desert. With history dating back to antiquity, it mixes high-rises and upscale shopping malls with clifftop landmarks such as the 16th-century Portuguese forts. It is famous for its modern, marble-clad Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, with 50m dome and prodigious Persian carpet, can accommodate 20,000 people. It also has dazzling souks and superb seafood, but its terrain brings the biggest thrills. This middle east port city is a great place to trek deserts at dawn, spot dolphins at sundown, and enjoy plenty of Omani hospitality.
Salalah is the third-largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar Province, which has always been known for its frankincense. The place has all what you can imagine – desert, beaches, mountains, waterfalls, springs, sinkholes, caves.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene. Burj Khalifa, an 830m-tall tower, dominates the skyscraper-filled skyline. At its foot lies Dubai Fountain, with jets and lights choreographed to music.
It was nice to meet up with my cousin, Nina Mallari and my nephew Thirdy Mercado Coching whom I’ve not seen in many years.
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - Colombo is the capital city of Sri Lanka, and the country's largest city in terms of population. Located on the west coast, it is a beautiful city surrounded by white sand beaches and an impressive harbourfront. Colombo is characterised by a series of canals, with the picturesque 160-acre Beira Lake at its centre.
YANGGON, MYANMAR - Formerly Burma) is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Burma, also known as Myanmar, has long been closed off to the rest of the world.
At night, the politically and culturally iconic Shwedagon Pagoda glimmers 325 feet high over a darkened Yangon. The ancient city of Bagan boasts a spectacular plain of more than 2,000 temples – some more than a millennium old.
Myanmar is a land chockfull of incredible pristine nature and scenery.
ALBANY, AUSTRALIA -Albany is a city at the southern tip of Western Australia. It's known for its beaches, such as popular Middleton Beach.
TONGA -Tonga officially the Kingdom of Tonga is a Polynesian country and an archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Palm-fringed beaches, cliffs plunging into the ocean, sparkling blue seas heaving with life and beaming smiles of the friendliest people in the world are the memories etched in my mind.
NUKU HIVA, MARQUEZAS - It is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. Nuku Hiva is a must-see for any visit to the Marquesas, from the Hakaui waterfall, the second highest waterfall in the world, to the beautiful Anaho Bay with its basalt ridges and deep canyons. It was formerly also known as Île Marchand and Madison Island. Herman Melville wrote his book Typee based on his experiences in the Taipivai valley in the eastern part of Nuku Hiva.
SAN BLAS ISLAND, PANAMA - The San Blas Islands of Panama is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, of which 49 are inhabited. It was an experience to meet the Kuna. They are an ethnic group that inhabits the remote and idyllic San Blas Islands that lie between Panama and Colombia. Known for their colorful embroideries and fiercely independent way of life, the Kuna are a small yet proud community of around 300.000 people.
SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA - A busy port, it was also the first Spanish settlement in Colombia. It is a place worth exploring, and when walking the streets, it is good to feel Santa Marta with all your senses. Except for visiting the best things to do, looking for the top attractions and must-visit places, you will also hear beating the wild and rough heart of Santa Marta.
A taste of home !
