Recent Travels

We recently went for a little holiday out of town. Nothing special except that this time, we went all by ourselves. Just like grown-ups do! We managed to get around just fine with our limited language, although I must admit, our hotel did have English speaking hosts. :)




Even though things are really different here, if you look hard enough, you can always find something that reminds you of home.

We stayed in a little tourist village and enjoyed the hotel, even though we didn't spend a lot of time there. We did have a lovely breakfast by the pool and enjoyed conversation with our friendly hosts. (Jeff was really busy with his boiled egg when I snapped this.)

There were some other interesting "amenities" at the hotel, but er, we didn't inhale. :)


We did some shopping and sight-seeing in a town nearby and snapped some great photos along the way.

The city had a killer view from the top of one of the mountains. Most of the city runs down one side of the mountain range and into the valley below. There is another mountain range opposite this city, so you had a great view no matter where you looked.


This day was a little hazy, so you can't really see the awesome view of the city below.

Houses look alot different in this country too! Most folks live in apartments like these, but I love the balconies!



We also found this killer park! (Am I saying "killer" too much? Because if I am, you can tell me.) You don't find wooded areas like this often where we live now. It almost felt like we were in America, walking around among the pine trees! :) There were gorgeous views and even a little pond complete with water wheel and ducklings!

One thing this country does have is awesome (fooled ya, didn't I? You thought I was going to say "killer") parks and tea gardens. You'll see these little green patches right in the middle of town with fluffy cushions and bean bag chairs on the grass. Folks sit for hours in the shade and drink coffee or tea. Very relaxing on a hot day like this one was! There are playgrounds for the kiddies. Even in the middle of a crowded city, you can find a little patch of grass or a shaded seat to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle.


There was also, to our great surprise, a fantastic new mall right in the middle of town. It had four stories of great shops (many American brands) and believe it or not, a skating rink right in the middle! Real ice and an itty bitty zamboni!
There is a bowling alley and movie theater! There is also a huge food court complete with Burger King, Popeye's Chicken and a Sabaro's pizza joint. And hold on to your hoola-hoops! They had real (beef) pepperoni slices! We were in heaven! :)

We found a great outlet mall too. Textiles there are really cheap because they have alot of factories. I actually bought some Williams-Sonoma hand towels! Three for less than $2! (I think I'll be going back there!)

There were some other "interesting" sights as well, but I think I'll save those stories for another day. :)