Who is planning to go where?

We might have sold up so am in planning new house by the beach mode, if it falls through definetly NSW coast!

Not sure of any big trips in the near future, but when one of my best friends retires.. maybe not until next year... we are planning to go to the Galapagos Islands and other places in South America. I haven't been there yet, and it is a place she has wanted to go for decades. I also want to do the Trans Siberian, but keep postponing that trip for a variety of reasons. I am planning to so some local camping (vancouver island, gulf islands) this year.

I'm rejoining the catamaran I've been cruising on for the past three seasons. Starting with a swing through the Marshall Islands while there are friends and family on board, we'll then make the long passage 'down' to Micronesia and hop through Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap and Palau. Then again, perhaps skipper will decide to head for Kiribati for the third time, and on towards Samoa. As for me, I wanna go down to PNG and the Solomons. As you can see, the route is quite fluid. •.¸.. ><((((º> •´¯•.¸¸.•´¯•.¸.. ><{{{{º> •´¯•.¸¸.• ´¯•.

Sophie, you will love the Galapagos islands. Do the longest cruise you can, it is worth it. We did an 11 day one, visited nearly all the islands.
Have just returned from New Zealand. It is a really beautiful country and easy to move around in, nowhere is very far from the sea. The North Island is geo-thermal, lots of geysers, boiling mud, a couple of live volcanoes and wonderful scenery. The South Island is cooler, it has the Southern Alps which look like a smaller version of the Himalaya range, and the fertile Canterbury plains, magnificent lakes, great fishing, and skiing in winter. Long scenic train rides, and take the ferry between the North and South Islands (about 3 hours), a photographer's dream.
No further plans yet for 2009, enjoyed Canada and Egypt in 2008.

Going to Costa Rica (for the 3rd time) in 11 days . . . Laos in July . . . Austria/Switzerland in late Sept.

Sandy (in Denton)

Next week is my music festival week - Womadelaide (Adelaide) then the Blue Mountains Music Festival (just outside Sydney). September/October off to South Africa, Namibia, Vic Falls, Botswana and Kenya for 6 weeks. Can't wait.

We are hosting my wife's cousin's daughter from France, so no summer trips abroad this year. I will be taking the Jeep on an offroad adventure tour into Kentucky and Tennessee in June for a week.

Took me 16 days but now we have been in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and will be staying here from February 1 to April 3. Then a slow trip home. Its wonderful here with temperatures up in the 80. Love it so much that we're coming back on December 1 and staying this time for 4 months.

PJ: When we returned from Mexico two years ago we came up through Texas and spent quite a bit of time there. I was very impressed with the beauty and the friendly folks. I can understand why you are enjoying it. Been to the "Alamo" yet? I think it is a guy thing.We'll be making a loop through Texas again next year or the next after. I'll have to check out the Rio Grande Valley as a place to snowbird to.

Annd: Totally jealous of the Africa trip, except VIC Falls. I loved the falls but Zimbabwe itself was a really scary place even 8 years ago and I can only imagine it has gotten worse. Please make sure you post some reports and tell me I'm wrong and things have improved.

Wave2angela: Saw a program on tv about Palau and the inland salt "ocean" with all its unique, non-stinging jelly fish. Looked really interesting.

Mic: That's right, get a nice place on the beach, eh? We'll be returning to Oz when the arthritis gets the best of us and we can't hack the chicken buses anymore. We'll need a nice place to hole up :) I'll get Steve to bring his own tool bag. Hell, I'll even bring our own porta-pottie.

Everyone else - I'm jealous of all the warm places you are going. It snowed and hailed in Vancouver again today. I think it's just winter flicking her tail as she heads north but enough is enough.