NEW LOCATION

I am pleased to announce that my blog will now be found at WordPress effective immediately. You can follow me at www.wanderstheworld.wordpress.com.


Please follow me there. All my other posts have been re-directed there as well.


Thanks for your support!


Eeva

SUNDAY'S SPECIAL SPOT - LUANG PRABANG

The images of SE Asia that wander through my head are filled with colour, history, culture and mysteries that I myself can not conceive, at least not yet. The more I learn of this corner of the globe the more I thrilled I become at the prospect of having my own two feet wander its ground. Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, draws travelers into its midst with its French-Indochine buildings, morning markets selling foods for the day, a royal museum and a stunning temples. Mornings include monks in a procession to accept alms from locals and tourists alike. Found at the junction of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers in northern Laos there is a striking beauty to the area filled with water and mountain. 

Buddhist Temple at The Royal Palace, Luang Prabang, Laos

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons - The Rambling Man

A New Year

Happy New Year everyone! This holiday often finds me doing some reflection. As 2013 drew to a close I found myself looking forward more and more. This will be the year that I FINALLY go on my trip. I will aim for a year but will also take whatever time I can get, be longer or shorter. That is what I am looking ahead to. Yet, I expected that today I would have some profound insights and musings. Alas, today has had me avoiding washing the dishes, learning how my new tablet works, texting my good friends and cuddling with the cat. With that, I will just share with you some of the highlights of my NYE celebrations with friends. I have always been blessed with having great friends. Years past I had my "posse" in Thunder Bay. I am grateful for my "old" friends and now for my "new posse". The evening started R's place for drinks and a grand spread of food. Later on we headed over to A's beau's nightclub (Status Nightclub in New Westminster) where we danced, drank, ate and celebrated . It was a fun night and I did not overindulge - no hangover but still a quiet day for me today. I hope you were fortunate as myself and spend your NYE with friends and family. 

PS. I do have a New Year's resolution - to read two books a month (I am a slow reader so this is a good goal for me).

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

Here's to 2014!

SUNDAY'S SPECIAL SPOT - COSTA DEL SOL

The pale gray skies are weighted with rain that comes down in a slow drizzle. The air is cool and damp, so much that you can both smell and feel it. A peek of sun is wanted yet I must rely on my imagination for now. Today is the last of the sunshine series and we head off to the Costa del Sol of Spain.

The south of Spain is home to this region of 300 days of sunshine in the province of Malaga. A rich history fills the area's past. Tourism slowly made its impact on the Costa del Sol in the early part of the 20th century, increased in the sixties and seventies and boomed in the later years of the 1900s and current 2000s.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons - Olaf Tausch

AND THE DOWNSIZING BEGINS

Season's Greetings everyone (that includes all holidays at this time year, not just Christmas). I hope this finds you all well and happy. I had a very good Christmas which was spent with friends who I consider family. And of course, I did go to the movies on Christmas day, as per my tradition. FYI, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is good and has some sensational scenery!

As it is Boxing Day here in Canada I am spending the day at home eating leftovers, putting away the Christmas decorations (hey, I have a very small apartment and am craving the space the tree takes up!) and going through some of my items. I will begin sifting through things I do not need and will tote them up the street to the local Salvation Army. It is their annual Boxing Day 50% off sale so I know they are open. This actually marks the start of my downsizing before I leave on my RTW trip in 2014. Why am I doing this you ask? It is a two-fold situation. The main reason is it will save me time. If I did it all at once I will be inundated with choices and feel the pressure of everything else going on. I want to feel the excitement of my upcoming trip and have less stress. Secondly, I will have the time to sell items online that may fetch me some extra cash and/or give some items to friends who will find use for them. 

There you have it. I am beginning to downsize as of today. Starting with a number of Christmas decorations and some clothing. Look out Salvation Army as I will be donating on a regular basis!!