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Destinations

Prague in 9 Squares

Continuing with a new series on the wanderingiPhone blog ‘in 9 squares’. 

In March 2012, I went on a solo trip to Europe. One of the cities I visited was Prague. In my research, I came across comments that suggested that Prague may not be safe. I took Prague off my itinerary but then put it back on as it was a city I wanted to visit. I am glad I did and am happy to report that I felt completely safe and my visit was without incident.

I, unfortunately, had only a short time in Prague and felt like I only scratched the surface of this beautiful city. I made the most of my time there but with its architecture, bridges, churches and overall charm, I’d love to go back and explore more and travel deeper. My favourite time of day was just as the sun was beginning to set and as the lights on the buildings started to shine. The only word I can think of to describe it, magical.

Here are my favourite 9 Instagram photos from that trip. Click on the 9 squares below to see a larger version.

Prague Czech Republic in 9 squares
Charles Bridge, Tyn Church, St. Nicolas Church, Estates Theatre, Prague.

 

  • Walking through the cobblestone streets with a hot Sva?ak (mulled wine) in hand as you make your way to Charles Bridge.
  • Standing on the infamous Bridge overlooking the Vltava River with several other bridges in the distance.
  • Watching a Mozart opera in the same building that Mozart debuted Don Giovanni over 200 years earlier in 1787.

 

These are the memories that play over in my mind and I hope to return with my family and learn more about the culture and history as I recently learned that a maternal great grandmother is from the Czech Republic.

March is a great time of year to visit Prague. It’s off season and there are deals to be found. I stayed at the 5-star Hilton in Old Town for only $70USD per night thanks to a winning bid on Priceline’s ‘name your own price’.

To see the photos on Instagram along with their detailed captions, visit wanderingiphone on Instagram. 

Africa, Destinations, mirrorless, nature, Photography, safari, South Africa, travel photography, wildlife

Animal mothers and a 1 hour old giraffe

This Mother’s Day I’m honouring animal mothers and their babies. This series of animals were photographed in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in Kruger National Park and the greater Kruger area in South Africa.

Mother's Day, Mom and baby baboon
One of my favourite animal mothers to watch is baboons.

 

mothers day elephant mom and baby
This little one couldn’t have been more than a month old. I first found it napping with mom standing over it.

 

mother's day newborn giraffe and mom
Mama giraffe cleans her newborn. This giraffe was about an hour old. When we arrived at the sighting, we found it surrounded by eight hyenas. Mom stood on guard until the baby giraffe stood up. Happy to report that hyena did not attack. See video below.

 

mothers day black rhino and baby
Mom and baby black rhino

 

mothers day lioness and 3 cubs
These cubs are part of a pride of 9 lions and were about three months old in this photo. This kill was one of their first meat based meals.

 

mother's day baby zebra
This baby giraffe just finished suckling from its mom.

 

mothers day mom baboon carrying its baby
Watched this pair of baboons for a while as they walked through an open area with their troop. The baby would hitch a ride then climb down to suckle and return to its spot on mom’s back.

 

 

Bonus: 

fathers day lion and cub
With Father’s Day around the corner, I couldn’t resist this one of this lion cub and his father. This cub is one of the cubs from the photo above of the lioness and her three cubs. In this image; he’s about nine months old.

 

 

California in 9 squares

This week I’m starting a new series on the wanderingiPhone blog ‘in 9 squares’ with a focus on a destination I have travelled to and my favourite 9 Instagrams.

The weekend of April 22, 2016 I went to California with my father to meet relatives I had never met and up until about a 2 years ago didn’t know existed. After some research and DNA Ancestry, we connected. I’ll save that story for a later post.

Between family dinners, lunches and discovering Burmese restaurants in Palo Alto and Berkeley, we saw a bit of San Francisco and Palo Alto and drove the infamous Pacific Coast Highway from San Luis Obispo to Monterrey, California after driving down to Santa Barbara to meet more relatives. Here are my favourite 9 Instagram photos from that trip. Click on the 9 squares below to see a larger version.

To see the photos on Instagram along with their detailed captions, visit wanderingiphone on Instagram. 

California
Stanford Memorial Church, Pacific Coast Highway, Elephant Seals, Stanford University Quad, McWay Falls, Golden Gate Bridge

 

If you’re looking for a Burmese restaurant in the San Francisco area, check out Burma Ruby. It’s been my mission to find Htamin Lethoke (rice salad) like the way my grandma, grandaunt and I make it. I have to say Burma Ruby is the closest I’ve come to that taste. So good.

Incase you’re wondering, my father, grandmother, some great and great great grandparents come from Burma or what is known as Myanmar and I still have over 100 relatives there. Read about my travels to Myanmar in The long road to Mandalay and my Myanmar travel tips in 6 things to know about travelling to Myanmar in 2016. I’m a first generation Canadian and have a very ethnically diverse family who moved around a lot. I swear I come by a ‘travel gene’ honestly 😀

The gateway to the Mergui Archipelago in South Myanmar

Sunset in Kawthaung, the gateway to the Mergui Archipelago is in the Andaman Sea in south Myanmar and is about 30 minutes by long tail boat from Ranong, Thailand. In November 2015, I spent 3 nights & 4 days exploring this region of over 800 mostly uninhabited islands.

I travelled by liveaboard boat, snorkelled the clear blue waters, found Nemo, walked on powdery-soft sandy white beaches and hung out in places with no one else in sight.

Only 2612 tourists explored these islands in 2015, I am grateful to be one of them.

Road trip from Bagan to Inle Lake, Myanmar

Somewhere in the lush rolling hills of Shan state in Myanmar between Bagan and Inle Lake. We travelled by private vehicle for about 12 hours past colourful fields and remote hill villages where Shan people still dress in traditional clothing.
It was one of the most scenic drives I’ve embarked on but it’s not for the faint of heart. The roads are very windy with narrow 2-lane roads and tight turns.

In Myanmar, they drive on the right side of the road like in the North America but most of the vehicles are from Japan and the driver is also seated on the right. Not a good position to be in when trying to overtake a large truck or bus on a curve in the road. Somehow they manage, unfazed. Many of the truck and bus drivers give the “okay to pass” sign by flashing their left-hand turn signal. Fascinating. I handled it well, the rest of my family not so much. There were a few nail-biting moments but I tried to live in a state of bliss and not pay attention to the road and the driving.

Celebrating Cherry Blossoms in Vancouver, British Columbia and a Festival

cherry blossoms vancouver

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Vancouver and area. We found these ones in South Surrey in March 2016 while we were on a family trip during March Break. As a resident of Toronto, have to say I was a little jealous of their cherry blossom trees. Not only do they bloom earlier than us, they have many more trees than we do in Toronto, at least, it seemed that way. We  saw trees everywhere we looked from Vancouver to Abbotsford.

cherry blossoms vancouver

cherry blossoms vancouver

cherry blossoms vancouver

Vancouver celebrates the Sakura trees and  even has a Cherry Blossom Festival. In 2016, it runs from March 24 to April 17th.

For more information about the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival including a map of cherry tree locations, visit here. The map helped us find the trees pictured above.