R and R CruisinTogether

  Bordeaux, France is where we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2023.  Our travel consultant, Richard Turen, curated this wonderful experience for us.  In my most recent blog, Taiwan, I mentioned Richard in my paragraph about bubble tea.  Below is an email we received from Richard as we were waiting to board our flight from Paris to Bordeaux.  He is not only a terrific travel consultant, he is a great writer and with a imaginative sense of humor.   King Charles did appear though we were not granted an audience with the king. Dear Randy and Ruth Ann:   We want to wish you a truly memorable celebration in France.   Word that you will be arriving has sparked a lot of interest as far away as England.   In fact, as he is always anxious to greet Churchill & Turen guests, King Charles will be making an appearance on the afternoon of your arrival just across from your hotel.     There will be a lot of security around your...

Morel mushroom motherlode!  Most of you know I am a forager for mushrooms and other wild edibles.   Yehliu Geopark near Keelung, Taiwan reveals an amazing variety of rock formations created by wave erosion, wind and rain.  When we arrived, it was as crowded and hot as King's Island Amusement Park on July 4th.  Several large student groups departed shortly after our arrival allowing nature's beauty to shine.                                                                          Is that a rabbit above Ruth Ann?                                                            ...

 Hazy is this panoramic photograph of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak.  One of the steepest funiculars in the world took us to the top of The Peak.  While there, we ordered an American lunch of grilled cheese and french fries.  I ordered wine.  Our friends, MelBec, ordered LARGE beers.                                         Both hands were required for hoisting these giant mugs of beer. Hop On Hop Off bus was our mode of transportation for the day.  As soon as we were seated on the open air top deck, the skies began raining cats and dogs.  We donned our parkas just in time to keep from getting drenched.  At the third stop we descended to the lower deck along with everyone else.  We stood for several stops as the rain continued.  Water gushed down the steps and formed a pool for soaking our feet.  Finally, the sun beg...

 Tai Chi for beginners in Hong Kong with two Tai Chi masters.  Afterward, dim sum was served to us at the Victoria Restaurant, then a tea tasting where black tea was our favorite.  Harbour City Mall which is attached to the port terminal, consists of approximately two million square feet of retail space with 70 restaurants and 450 retail stores.  It was endless and packed with people.                       We dined at a Sichuan restaurant for dinner with a panoramic view of Hong Kong Harbor. Our evening was spent on an open air bus tour with only one stop at Temple Street Night Market, which is a tourist trap, with small vendors selling unnecessary plastic items and other poorly made goods.  The food stalls were interesting but uninviting. Hazy conditions limited my photo of the illuminated buildings along the harbor.  Hong Kong has over nine thousand high rise buildings of which more than fou...

 Following breakfast, we headed to the airport to take a seaplane to Ha Long Bay.  The one-hour flight offered fabulous views of the bay and the surrounding landscape.  Ha Long Bay is a Unesco World Heritage site known for its natural beauty where thousands of rugged limestone karsts can be seen jutting out like dragon's teeth amid the emerald waters.  They are topped with thick jungle vegetation and several of the islands are hollow with enormous caves.  These photos cannot capture the breathtaking beauty we  experienced from above,   Landing from the air into the water was thrilling! Upon landing, we watched this dramatic scenery unfold as we journeyed up close to this surreal landscape past limestone islets and grottoes on a beautifully crafted Vietnamese sailing vessel.  We were served another tasty lunch of Vietnamese specialties with local beer and soft drinks. While among the islets and in a grotto, we set ashore for a climb into stunn...

 Transportation began at 6:00 a.m. in rickshaws or cyclos.  The city was awakening with the parks already filled with people exercising, dancing, aerobic dancing and playing badminton.  This group was playing badminton with their feet.  Locals in the park invited us to dance with them and the sight of tens of thousands of people walking, jogging, exercising and riding bicycles just after sunrise surprised us.  There are local food, produce and other vendors everywhere,   Typical is this scene of local residents eating at low lying plastic tables and chairs on the sidewalk. Pho (chicken soup with rice noodles) is a common breakfast we enjoyed while our drivers waited.                                                      At another stop,   we drank a flavorful cup of egg coffee.  ...