For a change from working in the rain in Hawaii Volcanoes NP, I drove to South Point, the southern tip of the island of Hawaii. The access to Papakolea Beach consisted of a maze of badly rutted vehicle tracks, along the coast, alternatively sandy and rocky. A four wheel drive was definitively necessary. Hiking would […]
Posted on June 8, 2011, 11:02 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
The Hawaiian islands are further away from a major land mass than any other in the world. Over the span of about 70 million years, plants and animals managed to make the voyage to the once barren islands and to colonize it, at the rate of one every 70000 years, and then evolving into more […]
Posted on June 3, 2011, 8:10 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Halemaumau crater – home to Pele, Goddess of Hawaiian Volcanoes according to the traditions of Hawaiian mythology – is a pit crater located within the larger summit caldera of Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. During my previous two visits to the Park, a decade ago, Halemaumau crater was inactive. I remember standing at the […]
Posted on May 1, 2011, 12:00 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Jackson Hole airport provides a convenient access to Grand Teton National Park. One would be hard pressed to find a closer an airport closer to a National Park, since for some reason Jackson Hole airport is within the boundaries of the park ! Without yet a replacement for my totaled trusty Subaru, I chose to […]
Posted on April 18, 2011, 9:21 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
More Yellowstone Winter Wildlife pictures All Yellowstone Winter pictures The official winter season (during which lodges and roads are open) generally lasts from mid-December to the beginning of March. If I was to return to Yellowstone in winter, I would pick mid to end January. At the beginning of winter, the Park may not have […]
Posted on April 14, 2011, 10:00 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
In the past, I have visited Yellowstone at three different times of the year, in July, September, and late October. I have always wanted to come back in the winter, and eventually got around to doing it this February. Part of the reason it had taken me so long are the logistics, which I’ll detail […]
Posted on March 29, 2011, 9:23 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
After scrambling to arrange transportation in Penang, and then Melaka, things went more smoothly for Singapore. Upon arriving at the bus station in Melaka City, I promptly bought tickets for the next day from one of the many companies providing service to that major city-state. Singapore is known for its strict laws. At the immigration […]
Posted on March 15, 2011, 10:26 am, by QT Luong, under
Announcements.
I may be a bit partial because of my Vietnamese background, but after visiting all the countries of continental South East Asia, and many others, I’ve found Vietnam to be one of the most diverse, enriching, exotic, and visually interesting countries in the world. Vietnam has it all: extraordinary natural landscapes, captivating historic cities, an […]
Posted on March 8, 2011, 11:05 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Melaka being a popular tourist destination just two hours away from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, I expected it to be a breeze to book bus transportation, but it turned out not to be the case. First, you’d think that the area around the Jalan Petaling street would be full of travel agencies, but I managed […]
Posted on March 3, 2011, 6:16 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
I had initially planned to travel by sleeper train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. Making arrangements proved surprisingly difficult. None of the travel agents in town would handle train reservations. When I called the official railway office, I was told that reservations could be made over the phone only if the planned journey was at […]
