Endless Roads Travel

04/08/2024

Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories in the Canadian north. It’s north of the 60th parallel on the edge of where the boreal forest ends and the arctic tundra begins. Some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met live here. I was impressed that some people live year round in the house boats on Great Slave Lake. They can only be reached by boat in the summer but most of year you can drive home on the ice. I love Yellowknife and can’t wait to see more communities in the north.

30/06/2024

They always say the beating heart of a city can be found in the central market, and they’re not wrong. I’ve been to many markets all over the world, but this one in Suva, the capital of Fiji really impressed me. I went to this market every day, because you can always find fresh food with local ingredients for low prices. I’m pretty well versed in the produce grown and imported to the United States (where I live) but the Suva market had so many fruits, peppers, and rooted vegetables I’ve never seen or heard of. It was incredible! Highly suggest a visit if you are in Fiji. 🇫🇯

23/06/2024

I recently spent some time in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. It’s a charming city and main hub on Efate island. While I was there people were marching for the rights of International Rural Women and I saw a soccer match of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). It was New Zealand vs Solomon Island. New Zealand won 3 to 0. I also visited the lovely national museum and Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Unfortunately I had some bad luck with all the tours I had booked being cancelled due to not enough people signing up, but that’s how it goes sometimes. I look forward to returning someday and see more of Efate and some of the other islands. Port Vila, Vanuatu 🇻🇺.

22/06/2024

Honiara is the capital of Solomon Islands. It’s located on Guadalcanal. It’s famous for its WWII history. You can find different WWII memorials and if you’re into diving there are some interesting shipwrecks to explore as well. Highlights for me were the Central Market ever buzzing with life, the National Museum, Holy Cross Cathedral and catching a rugby match. Honiara, Solomon Islands 🇸🇧 .

21/06/2024

I’ve wanted to visit Papua New Guinea for quite some time. I remember looking into it 10 years ago or so and thinking the visa process was pretty complicated, but I’m happy to say it’s pretty straightforward now and can be done online. However it’s still an expensive country to explore. The cities are not connected by very many roads so you have to fly to most destinations. The domestic flights are often twice as expensive as the international flights. Hotels are also not cheap.

I spent four days in Port Moresby, the capital city. It used to be known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world and even though it’s still not advisable to walk around late at night, it felt very safe during the day. I had a wonderful host I met randomly through Air BnB that really went above and beyond taking me to see all the interesting sites around the city. Some highlights were The National Orchid Garden, Ela Beach, St Mary’s Cathedral, War Cemeteries, the Parliament House, Paga Hill, walking around downtown and trying Betel Nut!

I really enjoyed visiting PNG and hope to come back and see Mt Hagen, the Bismarck archipelago, Manus, Madang and Bougainville.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

16/06/2024

The Royal Exhibition building and the surrounding Carlton Gardens were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. The building located in Melbourne was designed for the great international exhibition movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been largely unchanged and is the only surviving Great Hall of the industrial exhibition movement that took place in different cities around the world such as New York, Paris, Kalcutta, Vienna, Kingston and Santiago,

16/06/2024

I recently visited the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. It’s about an hour north of Hobart. I got to hang out and feed kangaroos 🦘. They also had some Tasmanian Devils, or as they like to call them “Tassie Devils.” The sanctuary is about 25 acres of land dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation, and preservation of native Australian animals. They also had wombats, eastern quolls, several different kinds of cockatoos, sugar gliders and echidnas. Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺.

12/06/2024

The Sydney Opera House is an architectural masterpiece. It sits at the forefront of Sydney Harbor. It’s a multi use concert hall and restaurant with breathtaking views on all sides including the sky scrapers lining the harbour, and the mighty Harbour Bridge. I walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens to reach the Opera House and they were magic as well. The Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 for its outstanding universal value and being an architectural icon.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺

08/06/2024

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are one of the top destinations to see on the North Island and it was well worth the trip! These caves have been a sacred place for the Māori people for thousands of years and one of two places in the world where you can see these fascinating bioluminescent creatures. The formation of the these limestone caves began over 30 million years ago. It was also in the Ruakuri cave where they filmed some of Gollum’s parts for the Lord of Rings movie franchise.

08/06/2024

Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand, located on the North Island. There is plenty to do here, my highlights were hiking to the top of Mt Eden for the incredible views of the city and beyond. The Harbor Bridge is pretty amazing and I also enjoyed exploring the waterfront, both Viaduct Harbor and the North Wharf.

07/06/2024

Tongariro National Park was given protected National Park status in 1894 making it the oldest in New Zealand. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 in recognition of the spiritual connection between the Māori community and their environment. It’s seriously non-stop gorgeous landscapes to explore. I did the 6km Taranaki falls loop and it was incredible. Gorgeous falls amidst a backdrop of these picturesque volcanos.

05/06/2024

At Piha Beach a golden retriever looks back at the cascading waves to watch surfers breaking winter waves in the Tasman Sea. Piha Beach, New Zealand 🇳🇿.

05/06/2024

There are and impressive array of mud pools at Te Puia geothermal park. Located in Rotorua New Zealand 🇳🇿.

05/06/2024

The sun shining through Pohutu Geyser at Te Puia geothermal park. This is the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere and the fourth largest in the world. Located in Rotorua New Zealand 🇳🇿.

20/03/2024

The Imperial City of Hue is located within the citadel of the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty. Built in 1802 emperor Gia Long ordered it constructed similar to the forbidden city in Beijing. It’s a walled off enclosure with palaces, shrines and beautiful gardens. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Hue , Vietnam 🇻🇳.

19/03/2024

I’ve been in SE Asia for the last few weeks visiting Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I have to say whether it was a nice restaurant, a food stall at a rural bus stop or a vibrant night market the food has always been amazing. I’ve had many variations of noodle soups, dumplings and spring rolls, everywhere does it slightly different. Eastern and SE Asian cuisine has always been some of my favorite.

18/03/2024

The other day I paid a heartbreaking visit to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, just outside of Phnom Penh. This site has become the most famous of the over 300 “killing fields” operated by the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide that took close to 2 million people during 1975-1979. They found close to 9000 bodies buried here. Most of the people were escorted from Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom Penh, deemed as “political prisoners” and brought here to be executed. Today the site contains a beautiful Buddhist stupa. The sides of the stupa contain over 5000 skulls behind glass. As I’m posting this I’m thinking how important it is for sites like these to exist in the hopes that similar atrocities can be avoided. I wish that were true but it seems not.

18/03/2024

Bayon Temple is another part of the Angkor Architectural Complex in Cambodia. Built by King Jayavarman VII at his capital, Angkor Thom. It’s a beautiful part of the complex noted for having so many large smiling stone faces of Buddha on the towers.

18/03/2024

Angkor Wat was built in the 12 century by Khmer King Suryavarman II. It was originally built as a Hindu temple and later transformed into a Buddhist temple. It’s located in Angkor, what was once the capital of the Khmer Empire and today just outside of Siem Reap. It holds the Guinness world record as the largest religious structure in the world and is part of the larger UNESCO World Heritage site that covers other remaining structures of the Khmer Empire. I got to explore this incredible site on my birthday and it was definitely a bucket list destination. Siem Reap, Cambodia 🇰🇭

16/03/2024

Luang Prabang is the ancient capital of Laos (current capital is Vientiane). Translated it means “Royal Buddha Image.” It’s a fascinating city to explore and doubles as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are many temples and museums to visit here, some of my favorites were the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Mai, Wat Phusi (incredible views from the top!) and Wat Xiang Thong. The night market was one of my favorites of the entire trip and you can’t beat a sunset on the Mekong River. Luang Prabang, Laos 🇱🇦

15/03/2024

Vientiane is the capital of Laos. Much smaller and more laid back than other Southeastern Asian capitals but has a growing tourism industry. I really enjoyed my time here, some highlights were Pha That Luang Monument, Patuxai Gate, Wat Si Muang and the night market of Vang Thong. Vientiane, Laos 🇱🇦.

13/03/2024

Pakse is the capital of the Champasak province in southern Laos. It lies at the confluence of the Mekong and Xe Don Rivers. I’ve enjoyed wandering the streets and sampling the street food. Also Wat Luong is not to be missed. Pakse, Laos 🇱🇦.

12/03/2024

Bagan is an ancient city and former capital of the Pagan kingdom that eventually became Burma and later Myanmar. It was thriving in the Middle Ages particularly from the 9th to 13th centuries. Thousands of Buddhist temples, pagodas and stupas were built during this time and are still standing. It’s a truly fascinating place to explore. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and now I’d have to say one of my favorites. Bagan, Myanmar 🇲🇲 .

10/03/2024

The Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay is a beautiful Buddhist site to visit containing the worlds largest book. The stone tablets inscribed with the Tripitaka are found on the 729 stupas that surround the pagoda. This is a beautiful site to visit in an incredible city.

10/03/2024