Month: June 2020

The sight of the Peninsula Hotel is very familiar to all who visit Hong Kong, if not to stay but certainly if you want to see the last vestiges of British influence in what was once a far eastern colony.

That is, we’re talking about the front building, not the new tower at the back.  In the older days there would have been a great view of the harbor from the Veranda (that area with the blue striped canopy) where today, breakfast is taken.

We had breakfast, lunch, and the famous afternoon tea in the ground floor cafe.

These days you would mostly see taxis, buses, and Teslas, if not a flurry of Mercedes and green Rolls Royces in the small car park below.  There is no clear view of the harbor anymore.

From our room, one facing the harbor we could see the space museum, and on the day we arrived, rain…

It sounds like the title of a book and maybe I should write it.  Along with the twenty other story ideas that are currently running around in my head.

Is it any wonder I can’t sleep at night.

I’m working on the latest book and it is not going well.  I don’t have writer’s block, I think it is more a case of self-doubt.

This leads me to be over critical of what I have written and much pressing of the delete key.  Only to realize that an action taken in haste can be regrettable and makes me feel even more depressed.

I think I’d be happier in a garret somewhere channeling van Gogh’s rage.

Lesson learned – don’t delete, save it to a text file so it can be retrieved in saner moments.

But the truth still sits there like a parrot on my shoulder.

I was not happy with the previous…

This is in a very scenic area and on the first impression; it is absolutely stunning in concept and in viewing.

As for the idea of walking on it, well, that first view of the mountain climb when getting off the bus, my first question was where the elevator is?  Sorry, there is none.  It’s walk on up or stay down the bottom.

Walk it is.  As far as you feel you are able.  There are quite a few who don’t make it to the top.  I didn’t.  I only made it to the point where the steps narrowed.

But as for the logistics, there’s the gradual incline to the starting point, and what will be the end meeting place.  From there, it’s a few steps up to the guard station no 7, and a few more to get up to the start of the main climb.  The top of the wall is guard station no 12.

Ok…

Joshua – 1977…
You probably don’t remember that day. Even for me it now seems like it was another universe. It was your first birthday. We called Fort Ord California home and, as it was with most Army families, we were as penniless as the winos down along the banks of the Salinas River. Your mother baked you a chocolate cake from a .29 cent box mix and decorated it with some homemade icing. We stripped you down to your diaper and sat you in your highchair while we sang birthday songs to you. You laughed as you crumbled your cake into oblivion.

Now for some good news that we might have missed

it ain’t no riot or pandemic so maybe didn’t make your list

For the first time in History a commercial craft flew to space

bringing humanity back into the great race

Though still bogged down with government oversight

cause we all know ‘Red Tape’ can be such a delight

We will see ‘Hitch a ride’ programs where we can buy

a ticket for luxury cruises to take us out past the sky

To hotels and eateries up there on the moon

and apartment complexes that’ll be coming soon

An outer space vacation package up in the stars

I’ll think I’ll wait and take mine on Mars

Just think of the significance of this historic day

when to all of our grand-kids we can proudly say

I remember on one planet we lived out our life

it was so filled with…

Believe it or not, we are doing A LOT of walking and hiking all around on our sight seeing tours through Spain.  We always do our best to get a lot of exercise on our trips, and this trip is no different, although to you it may seem like all we do is eat.  We are probably walking/hiking about 5-7 miles per day, on average.  And because the temperatures are so hot, we are also sweating a lot as well.  All of this works up an appetite, and hopefully at least will keep us ‘”neutrally “buoyant” to use a diving term, so we do not gain to much weight on this trip.  We actually tend to lose a little weight on our vacations because we are always so active, which is definitely a good thing.  I have A LOT of weight to lose.

We were only in Cartagena for 1…

Because we were staying in a hotel, I did not have access to a kitchen I could cook in while on vacation, which means we ate out every night.  We usually just have simple stuff for breakfast, like muffins and/or bagels and fruit, and a real light lunch, if anything at all.  When traveling, we focus more on our dinners than we do breakfast or lunch.  When on a dive trip,  I am way too busy diving to think about food, or anything else for that matter.  Most of our dinners were simple meals, like pizza and fish or fish & chips.  We actually only ate out at nicer restaurants a few times, and ironically, two of those places had sunset or sunshine in their names.  They were located on different parts of the island, but apparently using the sun as a reference in the name of a restaurant is…

Great news EAT! fans!!!!!!!  EAT! Food & Drink is once again open for business, and they are better than ever.  They have new hours and new menu items too.  Before COVID, EAT! Food & Drink was a breakfast and lunch restaurant, When You’re Hungry – Go Out to EAT! but now they offer dinner items too.  EAT!‘s new temporary hours are now from 10:00 AM-7:00 PM, but soon they will be reopening for the early morning hours, and will continue with the extended dinner hours as well.

General Manager Brittany and her wonderful staff are doing everything they can to keep everyone well fed and safe.  Because of the limited capacity rules at the moment, due to the Governor’s COVID guidelines, it is best to make a reservation to make sure you will be well taken care of and won’t miss out on any of their great food and…