When we were in Italy in 2000 the Dei Mori bed & breakfast was one of our favorites. Daniele (Danny) the owner is super nice and makes a great french press coffee (very strong). When we stayed there our room had a shared bath--which was super nice and clean--but it looks like all the rooms have private baths now. The best part of this place is the fabulous location in Florence.

Here's the contact info: Dei Mori Bed and Breakfast, Via Dante Alighieri 12, 50122 Firenze, Tel +39.055.211438, Fax +39.055.2382216,deimori@bnb.it 

The Loveboat is on curse to Burma, today officially named Myanmar. A Land which is meant cause of its wide & thick forests , royal big rivers, and the unbelievable amount of world famouse Pagodas one of the most beautiful and still un touched Tourism Destination in South East Asia. http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/23/0,1872,2087351,00.html

 

Mother Land Inn (2) --> No. 433, Lower Pazundaung Road, Yangon, Myanmar. ph: 0095-1-291343

Email --> mli2@myanmar.com.mm

Email --> vctraung@gmail.com

www.manmarmotherlandinn.com

• Clean and quiet place, friendly atmosphere
• Complimentary breakfast
• 24-hrs valet service & electricity
• IDD phone, fax, email

Single -->8, double-->11, Triple --> 16 in USD(fan & attached shower)

 

Yangon Zoological Garden has been inaugurated since 1906. Nowadays, it has an area of 69.25 acres. It is a World class zoo where one may observe a collection of animals habitat to Myanmar as well as the World over. There are 59 species of animals, 63 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles on the fauna side. On the flora side, there are over 15,000 trees and plants. Yangon Zoological Garden is opened daily. On weekends and public holidays, special animal shows are featured to entertain the visiting public. New 5 baby tigers (Cabs) were born last 3 months ago. Entrance fee  200 Kyats only! You can take photos with them… http://amazingmmland.blogspot.com/

     It took us almost the entire trip to figure out what to do about a bill at the end of a meal.  We would be waiting forever wondering why the server wasn't bringing the bill.  In New Zealand you must ask for the bill and sometimes bring your money up to the waitress.  They think it is rude to rush people and bring the bill.  We were afriad of being rude by asking where the heck our bill was.  So, when you're ready to leave, simply tell them!

    A nice and fun place to eat has the unlikely name of Cabbages and Condoms.  Don't let the name turn you off - the food is great.  Sukhumvit, Soi 12

 

    If you haven't had mango with sticky rice at the Spice Market restaurant at the Four Seasons in Bangkok, you haven't had the best.  It isn't the place for backpackers, of course, but if you can clean up a little and don't mind going "high end" for dessert, you will not be disappointed.  Think you've had sticky rice and mango before?  Think again.  This is the sh*t. 

 

    Hey, a Seattle-ite will need a fresh brew at some point.  Try the Londoner Brew Pub - Basement of UBC II Building, Corner of Soi 33, Sukhumvit Road

    To get a feel for the size and lay of the land in Bangkok, get on the elevated train and ride from one end to the other and back.  It's a cheap, clean and safe way to get around, and the elevated view gives you a nice perspective.

     Hire a long-tail boat for a few hours to take you along the busy river and off into the klongs of the Thomburi side of the city.  Don't go with a group - just hire the boat and boatman for the two of you so you can call the shots.  It's a great way to see non-urban Thai life without leaving Bangkok.  The boatmen have spots where they stop and where they can get a commission if you buy something, but they aren't insistent - if you tell him no, he'll keep going.  The less time you waste at tourist stops or temples, the more time you'll have for getting way, way back in the narrow klongs.  Keep an eye out for a Washington license plate adorning the exterior of one rickety little wood-frame house on a backwater kong.

 

     Try to get out at dawn to see the sunrise reflecting off the mosaic-like exterior of temples - very cool as they glitter and glimmer.  The Thai temples are really nice - ornate - but for me, see a couple of them and you've seen enough. 

 

    Oh, if you're in Bangkok on Saturday, go on up to the Chatuchak Saturday market - it's a zoo, literally and figuratively. 

 

I glimsed this gorge from the train windows over 10 years ago, and have wanted to return ever since.  There is a little trail, with a platform stuck onto sheer cliff walls, that looks unbelievable unsafe and exciting.  

http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/chorro/home.htm

I hope you check it out and tell us about it!

Cairns has the most dive boat options; here are 3 I've liked. All have resort-dive options, for first-timers

1) Reef Magic - typical medium-size boat, amenities, friendly crew, can get in two dives if not too crowded. Can get a video of yourself diving, photos boarding, but like most everything in Australia it's low-key.

http://www.reefmagic.com.au/ (hmm, seems more commercial now)

2) I took a small sailboat with 6 pax, 3 crew, and stayed overnight on the reef. Unique experience. Can't remember the name, but you should be able to find it or something similar by asking some knowledgeable booker (booking places all over Cairns). Book this early if you can, as soon as you know your dates, it can fill up. I got a spot a few days ahead of time but it was the low season.

3) Big boat, day trip to Fitzroy Island (I'll try to stay overnight there next time). You can make a quick stop there and then go on to a dive spot, but I spent several hours, took a snorkle trip near Little Fitzroy Island. Islands might not be novel to Seattlites, but to me it was very cool.

www.fitzroyisland.com.au/

 

In general, you can find great diving/boating experiences if you look a little deeper than the very common short little trips.

Somebody recently emailed me with some questions on Ireland, knowing that I used to live in Dublin. Here are notes from my reply (links generally go to my photos or external sites):

• There’s a ton to see in Dublin, both during the day and the evening. The guidebooks will no doubt give you the highlights, but don’t miss a musical or literary pub crawl. They’re for the tourists, obviously, but the calibre of performance is great. I’ve blogged about my other favourite places in Dublin. Understand that Dublin and the rest of Ireland are remarkably different. The former is a bustling, grimy city with an amazing history and culture, while the rest of Ireland is all greenest-of-green hills, charming hamlets and gorgeous coastlines.
• If you’re in Dublin on Saturday, don’t miss the Temple Bar Market. Have a crepe from the hippy kids at the crepery cart. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
• Top tip for North Americans: for the love of God, don't drive in Dublin. It's a medieval city with 21st century traffic nightmares. The city has a decent public transit system (be sure to check out their new tram system, the Luas), and the centre of the city is very walkable. Rent a car (be sure to specify an automatic if you can't drive standard) from the airport, which will enable you to skirt most of the nasty Dublin traffic.
• I'd suggest driving inland south from Dublin to Waterford. You'll see plenty of coast elsewhere, and this enables you to visit Glendalough, which is a lovely corner of the country. Then you can sneak across Carlow to Kilkenny, which is a great town. Then I'd either go down to Waterford or across through the Rock of Cashel (a pretty amazing spot) to Cork. I'd recommend the Cashel route, but either way is good.
• Of course, if you're near Kilkenny, you could stop in at my ancestral home. Mind you, it's a hostel now, so don't try to reclaim it or anything. I already tried that, and two Swedish guys threw me out.
• You surely know about the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula--they're pretty famous.
• Galway is definitely worth getting to, as is the western part of County Galway, known as Connemara. The landscape is strikingly different than the rest of the country.
• Finally, don't miss the Aran Islands. They're gorgeous, a taste of old Ireland. You can rent bikes there, and ride around for the day.