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| Dear Marieta, Greetings from the M/S Expedition located off the shore of the Elephant Island on the Antarctic Peninsula! I am sending this via a satellite internet connection which is available on the ship. It is slow, but it works. I'm guessing for many of you, this will probably be the only email you ever get from Antarctica! :) I've been on board the M/S Expedition for two weeks now exploring the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island. We've seen countless penguins, seabirds and seals. We've hiked the last segment in Sir Ernest Shackleton's rescue mission for his crew in 1922. We visited the old whaling station of Gyrtvinik in South Georgia. Now we are spending our final week of the trip in the Antarctic peninsula. This has one of the most incredible things I've done in my almost 5-years of traveling around the world. Being able to visit some of these remote islands and to visit my seventh and last continent has been a real joy. I arrive back in Ushuaia, Argentina on January 30 where I'll only have a few hours before I take off for Belize, where I'll be spending most of February working and relaxing. I will be sharing some amazing photos and incredible stories once I get back to civilization. Keep traveling, Gary
New at the Website
Announcing the Winner of the May Photography Tour from G Adventures
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| We have a winner! Grace Correia of Hamilton, Ontario, has a spot on the Everything-Everywhere photography tour in May with G Adventures. She, and the other tour participants, will be receiving hands-on photography instruction, an awesome swag bag of cool stuff and two weeks of experiences they'll never forget.
Don't worry, you can still join her. There are still a few spots open if you don't delay. For more details on the tour, click here.
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Photo Essay: Hot Air Ballooning Over Lake Tahoe
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| Last August I had the pleasure of visiting Lake Tahoe to view a commercial shoot for Hotels.com. While I was there I had the chance to go hot air ballooning over Lake Tahoe with Lake Tahoe Balloons. They are the only hot air ballooning company in the world that does takeoffs and landings on the water. It was a great morning with some of the best views you'll ever see from a balloon. [Read more...] |
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The Most Popular Posts and Pictures of 2011
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| While Gary is on the way to Antarctica he is at the mercy of very slow internet. Since it is difficult for him to post, I thought I'd take this opportunity to look back at the posts and daily photos from last year that received the most traffic. Is your favorite from 2011 on the list? - Amy the Assistant
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Preparing for Antarctica
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| Going on the M/S Expedition to Antarctica will probably be the biggest adventure of my five years of traveling. It will easily be the furthest south I've traveled (previously Invercargill, New Zealand), it will probably be the most remote location I've ever been (depending on how you define remote), and it will be the longest trip I've taken by ship in the roughest seas I've ever been on. It will also be my seventh and final continent to visit. [Read more...] |
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Daily Travel Photos
Jan. 19, 2012
 Benidorm, Spain
| Jan. 18, 2012
 South Africa
| Jan. 17, 2012
 Alexandria, Egypt
| Jan. 16, 2012
 Puerto Rico
| Jan. 15, 2012
 Netherlands
| Jan. 14, 2012
 Conwy, Wales
| Jan. 13, 2012
 Benidorm, Spain
| Jan. 12, 2012
 Tennessee
| Jan. 11, 2012
 Muscat, Oman
| Jan. 10, 2012
 California
| Jan. 9, 2012
Yukon, Canada
| Jan. 8, 2012
Israel
| Jan. 7, 2012  Yukon, Canada | Jan. 6, 2012  Australia | Jan. 5, 2012  Lake Tahoe, NV |
This Week In Travel: Episode 105
This week's guest is Spud Hilton, travel editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.
This Week's News
Picks of the week
[Hear it now...]
World Heritage Site of the Week
UNESCO World Heritage Site #18: Shrines and Temples of Nikko
From the World Heritage Inscription: "The shrines and temples of Nikko, together with their natural surroundings, have for centuries been a sacred site known for its architectural and decorative masterpieces. They are closely associated with the history of the Tokugawa Shoguns."
Nikko is a day trip from Tokyo. About two hours away by train, half the trip is via shinkasen (bullet train) and the other half is via a smaller commuter train. Nikko is a small town located in the mountains and surrounded with cedar forests. Nikko is a collection of Shinto and Buddhist temples built from the 16th to 19th century.
You can walk from the train station to the temple area (I did it) but it will take about 30 minutes and the walk is mostly uphill. There are taxis and buses which can drive you to the temple site. Nikko is world famous for a small wood carving on one of the temples: the see no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil monkeys. While I was there, I saw everyone lined up to get their photos taken in front of the same building acting goofy. I had no idea what was going on. I saw the carving, and together with all the mentions of the monkeys in the stores in town, I figured it out.
Visiting Nikko from Tokyo takes a full day, but it is probably the best example of traditional shrines and temples you can see within easy traveling distance from the city.
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