Around The World: Year 2012

Year 2011

January 2012	February 2012	March 2012	April 2012
May 2012	June 2012	July 2012	August 2012
September 2012	October 2012

January 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
211	January 1	Sydney, Australia Parramatta, Australia SYD Parramatta, Australia	12:00 AM fireworks show at Royal Botanic Gardens Back to my motel in Parramatta Back to Sydney airport to pick up new rental car Back to Paramatta again!
212	January 2	Parramatta, Australia Bowral, Australia	A visit to the Don Bradman Museum/International Cricket Hall of Fame in Bowral
213	January 3	Bowral, Australia Fitzroy Falls, Morton National Park, Australia Jervis Bay National Park, Australia Bowral, Australia	A drive down to Jervis Bay, with an unplanned stopover at the much nicer Fitzroy Falls!
214	January 4	Bowral, Australia Penrith, Australia	Drive up to Penrith near the Blue Mountains, but did not go to the Blue Mountains yet
215	January 5	Penrith, Australia Coffs Harbour, Australia	Drive north to Coffs Harbour, NSW (without going to Blue Mountains again)
216	January 6	Coffs Harbour, Australia Brisbane, Australia	Drive up to Brisbane, QLD Meeting couple of friends for drinks and dinner at Southbank!
217	January 7	Brisbane, Australia Rockhampton, Australia	Drive up the coast to Rockhampton, QLD (instead of Gladstone/Heron Island)
218	January 8	Rockhampton, Australia Townsville, Australia	Drive from Rockhampton to Townsville View from Flagstaff Hill Lookout near Bowen View from Mt. Inkerman at sunset, with a kangaroo
219	January 9	Townsville, Australia Cairns, Australia	Drive up to Cairns (37 days after my original plan) An attempt to go to Jourama Falls at Paluma Range National Park
220	January 10	Cairns, Australia Wooroonooran National Park, Australia Crater Lakes National Park, Australia Cairns, Australia	Sunrise from hotel balcony An evening drive down to Wooroonooran National Park (Heales Outlook) Lake Barrine at sunset Lake Eacham after sunset
221	January 11	Cairns, Australia CNS Cairns, Australia Port Douglas, Australia Cairns, Australia	1-hour scenic flight over Port Douglas and Great Barrier Reef! An oceanside drive up to Port Douglas (and another "Flagstaff Hill")
222	January 12	Cairns, Australia Caravonica, Australia Kuranda, Australia Kuranda National Park, Australia Mount Hypipamee National Park, Australia Wooroonooran National Park, Australia Townsville, Australia	Drive up to Caravonica Round-trip on Cairns Skyrail (stops and walks at Red Peak, Barron Falls, and Kuranda stations) Henry Ross Lookout at Kuranada National Park McHugh Lookout at Mount Hypipamee National Park Millaa Millaa Falls Zillie Falls Ellinjaa Falls Crawfords Lookout at Wooroonooran National Park Drive down to Townsville
223	January 13	Townsville, Australia Rockhampton, Australia	Coastal drive from Townsville to Rockhampton
224	January 14	Rockhampton, Australia Moree, Australia	Inland drive from Rockhampton to Moree
225	January 15	Moree, Australia Lidcombe, Australia	Inland and coastal drive from Moree to Lidcombe "Who'd A Thought It Lookout"
226	January 16	Lidcombe, Australia SYD Lidcombe, Australia	Returned rental car at Sydney airport: 6063.2km driven on this one (388L of fuel).
227	January 17	Lidcombe, Australia SYD SIN	Flight from Sydney to Singapore
228	January 18	SIN MNL ILO Iloilo, Philippines	Connecting flight from Singapore to Manila, and then from Manila to Iloilo
229	January 19	Iloilo, Philippines	Sunrise from hotel window Dinner to kick off the Dinagyang festival in Iloilo
230	January 20	Iloilo, Philippines	I'd rather not say.
231	January 21	Iloilo, Philippines	I'd rather not say.
232	January 22	Iloilo, Philippines	I'd rather not say.
233	January 23	Iloilo, Philippines	Nothing
234	January 24	Iloilo, Philippines ILO CEB Cebu, Philippines	Flight from Iloilo to Cebu
235	January 25	Cebu, Philippines	Sunrise from hotel window "Administrative duties" (translation: laundry) Researching/planning next 10 days of this trip
236	January 26	Cebu, Philippines	Nothing
237	January 27	Cebu, Philippines Tagbilaran (Bohol), Philippines Panglao island, Philippines	A 2-hour ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran on Bohol island Car to Panglao island
238	January 28	Panglao island, Philippines Bohol island, Philippines Panglao island, Philippines	Day tour to Bohol Island: Chocolate Hills National Geological Monument Butterfly sanctuary Loboc man-made forest Tarsier monkeys sanctuary Bamboo hanging bridge Floating restaurant river cruise/lunch Ati Tribe stop on cruise Baclayon Ecclesiastical Museum Baclayon Church (1727) Blood Compact monument
239	January 29	Panglao island, Philippines Tagbilaran (Bohol), Philippines Cebu, Philippines	Taxi to Tagbilaran seaport followed by 2 hours ferry ride back to Cebu
240	January 30	Cebu, Philippines	Jeepney to Ayala Center, lunch at Banana Leaf, and walk back to hotel
241	January 31	Cebu, Philippines	Golden sunrise behind the Cebu shipyard Buffet dinner at Feria restaurant, Radisson Blu hotel

February 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
242	February 1	Cebu, Philippines	Two movies in theater: "Darkest hour", "Contraband" Did not see "Shaolin"
243	February 2	Cebu, Philippines	One more movie: "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" in IMAX-3D
244	February 3	Cebu, Philippines	One more movie: "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" in IMAX-3D
245	February 4	Cebu, Philippines CEB MNL	Flight to Manila and connecting overnight flight to Sydney
246	February 5	SYD Lidcombe, Australia Parramatta, Australia Lidcombe, Australia	Morning arrival at Sydney airport Rest of the day spent sleeping and watching TV
247	February 6	Lidcombe, Australia Parramatta, Australia Sydney, Australia Lidcombe, Australia	Sydney Tower Eye and Skywalk Rest of the day roaming around Sydney on foot: Kings Cross Woolloomooloo Wharf Mrs Macquaries Chair Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Opera House Boat trip from Circular Quey to Darling Harbour and back The Rocks
248	February 7	Lidcombe, Australia SYD LAX SFO Home	Couple of trains to Sydney airport Couple of flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco airports Couple of car trips back home (temporarily)
N/A	February 8-16	Home	Relaxing Meeting friends Planning the next and next-to-next parts of this journey...
N/A	February 17	Home San Mateo, CA Home	Getting the needed vaccinations for the next-to-next part of this journey...
N/A	February 18-29	Home	Relaxing Meeting friends Researching the next part of this journey

March 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
N/A	March 1	Home Fremont, CA Home	Quick trip to the DHL office in Fremont to pick up my Japanese rail pass Changing my next departure date from March 14 to March 4!!!
N/A	March 2-3	Home San Francisco, CA Home	Party time Relaxation time (yeah right! If only...) Family time
249	March 4	SJC DFW Irving, TX	The next phase of this journey begins: flight from San Jose, CA to Dallas, TX Overnight at airport hotel
250	March 5	Irving, TX DFW	Rushing to get to the airport to catch the morning flight from Dallas to Tokyo after waking up 2.5 hours late!
251	March 6	NRT Tokyo, Japan	Afternoon arrival in Tokyo's Narita airport Ginza district for dinner
252	March 7	Tokyo, Japan	Ueno Park: Statue of Prince Komatsu No Miya Akihito Toshogu Shrine (exterior only as it was under renovation) "The flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" Ueno Park Zoo (with Sala Thai Pavillion and Daibutsu Pagoda) Benten-do Memorial (exterior only as it was under renovation) Kiyomizu Kannon-do Temple Statue of Saigo Takamori (the "real" last samurai) and his dog Ginza district again for dinner
253	March 8	Tokyo, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Scheduled morning train that got delayed to become an afternoon train: Hikari Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto Remainder of day spent studying and getting overwhelmed by the number of things to see and do in Kyoto!
254	March 9	Kyoto, Japan	Getting "acquainted" with the immediate vicinity of my motel
255	March 10	Kyoto, Japan	Nijo Castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Kyoto Tower
256	March 11	Kyoto, Japan	Shimogamo-jinja shrine (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Kamigamo-jinja (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Imamiya shrine Kinkaku-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Ryoan-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
257	March 12	Kyoto, Japan	Snowfall in the morning = an excuse to take it easy after all the walking done the previous day
258	March 13	Kyoto, Japan	Sanjusangendo temple The exterior of Kyoto National Museum (interior was closed) Taiko-en temple Dojuin temple Tofuku-ji temple To-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
259	March 14	Kyoto, Japan Shin-Osaka, Japan Hiroshima, Japan Miyajima, Japan Hiroshima, Japan	Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, connecting to Hiroshima Streetcar and ferry to Miyajima Island O-Torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine (during high tide) Itsukushima Shrine (exterior) Daiganji temple (exterior) 5-story pagoda (exterior) Bus and gondola "ropeway" to Mt. Misen O-Torii gate again during low tide and up close (as close as I could get to it without wading) Ferry and local train back to Hiroshima
260	March 15	Hiroshima, Japan	Mazda Museum and assembly line tour Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park: Peace Memorial Museum Cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims Eternal flame Children's Peace Monument Bell of Peace Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound Monument to Korean victims and survivors Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for atomic bomb victims (Hall of rememberance) Fuel Hall (Hiroshima Rest House) Zero Milestone of Hiroshima City Genbaku Dome (Atomic Bomb Dome) (Reconstructed) Aioi bridge Peace Clock Tower All of the above exterior monuments in Peace Memorial Park again at night!
261	March 16	Hiroshima, Japan Hakata, Japan Nagasaki, Japan	Trains from Hiroshima to Nagasaki via Hakata
262	March 17	Nagasaki, Japan	A rainy morning spent doing laundry Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims Nagasaki atom bomb museum Flame of Peace Urakami Cathedral Wall Remnant Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Monument Peace Fountain Various statues and monuments in Heiwa-koen Park Peace Statue Stone bridges along Nakashima River: Higashishin Bridge Uoichi Bridge Spectacles Bridge (Meganebashi) Fukuro Bridge Susukihara Bridge Ichiran (Yilan) Bridge Furumachi Bridge Amigasa Bridge Koyozan Koyeiji Temple (exterior)
263	March 18	Nagasaki, Japan Hakata, Japan Shin-Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Three trains from Nagasaki to Kyoto
264	March 19	Kyoto, Japan	A day of rest
265	March 20	Kyoto, Japan Uji, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Fushimi Inari Shrine Byodo-in temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Uji Uji Bridge
266	March 21	Kyoto, Japan Daigo, Japan Takao, Japan Kyoto, Japan Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Daigo-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Jingo-ji temple in Takao Evening trip to Osaka: Umeda Sky Building
267	March 22	Kyoto, Japan	A "sick day" spent in bed...
268	March 23	Kyoto, Japan	Another sick day spent in bed...
269	March 24	Kyoto, Japan Himeji, Japan Kobe, Japan Maiko, Japan Himeji, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Still sick, but decided to do something! Train to Himeji to see the Himeji-jo castle: under renovation, decided to come back another day Train to Kobe, then back-tracking with another train to Maiko View of Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (World's longest suspension bridge) Trains back to Himeji and Kyoto
270	March 25	Kyoto, Japan Shin-Osaka, Japan Kagoshima-Chuo, Japan Shin-Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Making full use of my JR Rail train pass: Two trains down to the southern end of the Shinkansen line at Kagushima-Chuo Monument to "19 students who broke the ban on traveling abroad" Two trains all the way back to Kyoto
271	March 26	Kyoto, Japan Tokyo, Japan Shin-Aomori, Japan Tokyo, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Making full use of my JR Rail train pass for another day: Two trains up to the northern end of the Shinkansen line at Shin-Aomori My first view of Mt. Fuji! (Fuji-san) Roaming around Aomori town looking for a place to have lunch, while trying not to fall on ice or 10 feet high pile of fresh snow! Two trains all the way back to Kyoto
272	March 27	Kyoto, Japan	"Administrative duties" (i.e.: laundry and relaxation)
273	March 28	Kyoto, Japan Okayama, Japan Iyo-Mishima, Japan Okayama, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Quest to go to Matsuyama on Shikoku island -- abandoned Walking around Iyo-Mishima instead Back to Kyoto for dinner
274	March 29	Kyoto, Japan	Walking around Southern Higashiyama: Kiyomizu-dera temple complex (UNESCO World Heritage Site): made my wish at the Otowa spring Sannen-zaka Street Hokanji temple and Yasaka-no-To 5-storied pagoda (went up to 2nd floor) Ninen-zaka Street Ishibei-koji Street Kodai-ji temple complex Ryozen Kannon and memorial to World War 2 unknown soldier Kodaiji Sho Museum
275	March 30	Kyoto, Japan	Leisurely stroll on Shijo-dori Street from Gion bus stop to Shijo Nishinotoin bus stop
276	March 31	Kyoto, Japan	Rainy day = Rest day

April 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
277	April 1	Kyoto, Japan	Walked up to the front entrance of Museum of Kyoto, but didn't buy the ticket (yet) Daitoku-ji temple complex: Korin-in temple and garden Zuihoin temple and garden Kotoin temple and garden Soken'in temple, garden and cemetary, with tea and dumplings Daisen-in temple and rock garden Obaiin temple and garden Nishi-Hongwanji temple complex and drum tower (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Museum of Kyoto -- went inside this time, and saw the 1954 classic "Godzilla" (in Japanese) in the museum's theater!
278	April 2	Kyoto, Japan	Another "rest day"
279	April 3	Kyoto, Japan	Another "rainy day = rest day"
280	April 4	Kyoto, Japan	Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden Kyoto Imperial Palace Ninna-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site): Tsune-goten Palace only Higashi Hongan-ji temple Kyoto Tower
281	April 5	Kyoto, Japan Osaka, Japan	Train to Shin-Osaka Leisurely strolls for getting acquainted with the different cafes in the Esaka neighborhood, my next home.
282	April 6	Osaka, Japan	Osaka Acquarium: whale shark Nighttime views from the top of Shin-Osaka station building (with Tenku-no-noen farm on the 12th floor)
283	April 7	Osaka, Japan	Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden (cherry blossoms) Osaka harbor cruise on board the "Santa Maria" Tempozan Ferris Wheel (112.5m height)
284	April 8	Osaka, Japan KIX MNL Manila, Philippines Tarlac City, Philippines	2 trains, 1 plane, 1 taxi and 1 bus from Osaka to Tarlac City
285	April 9	Tarlac City, Philippines	A day of sickness and rest: Did not go to Mt. Pinatubo as originally planned
286	April 10	Tarlac City, Philippines Manila, Philippines	Bus back to Manila Manila Bay sunset
287	April 11	Manila, Philippines MNL KIX Osaka, Japan	Flight back to Osaka
288	April 12	Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan Osaka, Japan	In Kyoto: Yasaka Jinja shrine Maruyama-koen park (cherry blossoms) Chion-in temple Shoren-in temple and gardens Kongoji temple In Osaka: Ebisubashi Bridge (daytime view) Dotonbori district (daytime)
289	April 13	Osaka, Japan Arashiyama, Japan Kyoto, Japan Osaka, Japan	Attempt to go to the temples in Arashiyama -- only made it to the train station before turning back Strolling on Kiyamachi-dori Street in Kyoto (cherry blossoms)
290	April 14	Osaka, Japan Arashiyama, Japan Osaka, Japan	Train to Arashiyama, and left the station this time! Following sights in Arashiyama: Arashiyama Park on Nakanoshima island (cherry blossoms) Togetsu bridge over Hozu-gawa and Katsura-gawa rivers Tenryu-ji Temple and garden (UNESCO World Heritage Site; cherry blossoms) Back in Osaka: Dotonbori district (nighttime) Ebisubashi Bridge (nighttime view) Walked the length of "Namba Walk" looking for a place to eat dinner Dinner at Osaka train station
291	April 15	Osaka, Japan Nara, Japan Osaka, Japan	Daytrip to Nara: Himuro-jinja shrine Todaiji Museum Todaiji temple with Nandai-mon gate (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Nigatsu-do Hall Sangatsu-do Hall (exterior only; interior under renovation) Tamukeyama Hachimangu shrine Kasuga Taisha shrine (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Wakamiya-jinja shrine Ukimido Gazebo with Sagi-ike pond (cherry blossoms) Kofuku-ji temple with 5-story pagoda exterior (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
292	April 16	Osaka, Japan	A "rest and laundry day"
293	April 17	Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Moved back to Kyoto! Ginkaku-ji temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site; cherry blossoms) Tetsugaku-No-Michi (Path Of Philosophy) (cherry blossoms) Eikando temple Nanzenji temple Sanmon gate (view from top) Nanzenji temple and garden "The Happy Bus"
294	April 18	Kyoto, Japan	A relaxing day of roaming around the Sanjo area
295	April 19	Kyoto, Japan Uji, Japan Osaka, Japan ITM Osaka, Japan Kyoto, Japan	Byodo-in Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Uji, this time with the Phoenix Hall Osaka Station for lunch A ride on the Osaka Monorail to Itami airport -- just to go on the monorail Added treat of first sighting of Boeing 787 at Osaka airport observation deck: Decided to take this plane to Tokyo instead of Shinkansen train! Back to Kyoto for dinner!
296	April 20	Kyoto, Japan	Rainy day = movie in theater: "This means War" (AKA Japanese title: "Black & White") in English with Japanese subtitles
297	April 21	Kyoto, Japan Osaka, Japan ITM HND Haneda, Japan	Osaka Station for lunch My first flight on a Boeing 787: Osaka Itami to Tokyo Haneda airport Another view of Fuji-san from the plane
298	April 22	Haneda, Japan Tokyo, Japan	Sony Building in Ginza: Trying to fix problem with camera but no result! Meiji-Jingu Shrine, with Empress Shoken Red Cross Exhibition and Homotsuden (Treasure Museum) Yoyogikoen park
299	April 23	Tokyo, Japan	Rainy day = Sleepy day
300	April 24	Tokyo, Japan	Kitanomaru National Garden (cherry blossoms) Higashi-Gyoen (Imperial Palace East Garden) Japanese Garden next to Higashi Gyoen Sannomaru Shozokan (Museum of Imperial Collections) Tokyo International Forum Plaza Tokyo Tower: evening and night views
301	April 25	Tokyo, Japan	Rainy day = Rest day
302	April 26	Tokyo, Japan	Rainy day = Rest day
303	April 27	Tokyo, Japan	Rainy day = Edo-Tokyo Museum Exploring Akasaka: my new neighborhood for the next 5 nights
304	April 28	Tokyo, Japan	Tokyo National Museum Sumida-gawa river cruise Walking around Roppongi district at night looking for a place for dinner Walking around Shinjuku district at night looking for a place for dessert
305	April 29	Tokyo, Japan	Sompo Japan museum of art ("Sunflowers" by Vincent Van Gogh) Shinjuku Sumitomo Building (51st floor observation deck) Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices Building #1 (North and South Towers 45th floor observatories) Shinjuku NS Building (Largest pendulum clock in the world) Nikon/Canon/Pentax/Sony camera store
306	April 30	Tokyo, Japan	Wadakura Fountain Park Ginza East Shinjuku walking tour at night: with Hanazono-jinja shrine and Kabukicho

May 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
307	May 1	Tokyo, Japan	Relaxing before the next day's flight across the Pacific Ginza district for "last dinner"
308	May 2	Tokyo, Japan NRT DFW SFO Home	Flight back home... until I return again!
N/A	May 3-6	Home	Relaxing Meeting friends
N/A	May 6-19	California Nevada Utah Colorado Nebraska Iowa Illinois Indiana Ohio Wisconsin Minnesota South Dakota Wyoming	Roadtrip and "family time" to Iowa and Ohio
N/A	May 20-21	Home	Relaxing Meeting friends
309	May 22	SFO JFK LHR	"Returning to the journey again": Flight to New York and continuing to London Heathrow...
310	May 23	LHR London, England Penzance, England St Ives, England Mousehole, England Penzance, England	Train to London's Paddington Station, followed by another one to Penzance Mini-roadtrip/dinner trip with cousins to St. Ives
311	May 24	Penzance, England Treen, England Penzance, England	BBQ picnic lunch at Treen overlooking the ocean "Land's End"
312	May 25	Penzance, England	St. Michael's Mount (with a Cornish Cream Tea)
313	May 26	Penzance, England	Glendurgan Garden
314	May 27	Penzance, England Constantine, England Falmouth Harbour, England Constantine, England St. Ives, England Penzance, England	Lunch in Falmouth and dinner in St. Ives, with the movie "The Dictator"
315	May 28	Penzance, England Hayle, England Penzance, England	Celebration dinner!!!
316	May 29	Penzance, England	Relaxation day
317	May 30	Penzance, England London, England LHR	Train to London Paddington, then to Heathrow airport for overnight flight to Dubai
318	May 31	DXB Dubai, UAE	Morning arrival at Dubai The Dubai Mall: Meeting an old childhood friend who I hadn't seen in close to 30 years! Dubai Aquarium Underwater Zoo Burj Khalifa Tower: "At The Top" The Waterfall

June 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
319	June 1	Dubai, UAE	"The Big Bus" Blue bus tour of new Dubai: Views of Jumeirah Mosque, Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai skyline Atlantis on The Palm resort (Coldstone Creamery) Wafi "The Big Bus" Red bus tour of old Dubai: Dhow cruise on Dubai Creek Dubai Museum with Al Fahidi Fort Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House Drive-by of the Souks The Dubai Mall: Dancing water fountains at Burj Khalifa Tower Dancing water fountains again at Burj Khalifa Tower
320	June 2	Dubai, UAE	Absolutely NOTHING! (stayed in my air-conditioned room all day, watching TV and ordering expensive but cheap room service)
321	June 3	Dubai, UAE	More of the same (as June 2nd)
322	June 4	Dubai, UAE	Went to Dubai Mall for lunch and movie, but only ended up doing lunch and no movie.
323	June 5	Dubai, UAE	"Day #1" to take malaria tablets! Dinner with friends
324	June 6	Dubai, UAE	Birthday = Laundry day Dinner with friends again, with the dancing fountains at Burj Khalifa Tower
325	June 7	Dubai, UAE DXB NBO Nairobi, Kenya	Flight to Nairobi for the start of my safari!!!
326	June 8	Nairobi, Kenya Samburu National Park, Kenya Samburu, Kenya	Animals at Samburu: Ostriches, elephants, baboons, dik diks, impalas, lions, and several birds
327	June 9	Samburu National Park, Kenya	Animals at Samburu: Elephants, impalas, giraffe, gerenuk, hyenas, lion cubs, water bucks, gazelles, dik diks, baboons, crocodile, leopard, and a lot of birds Cultural dance of Samburu tribe at dinner
328	June 10	Samburu National Park, Kenya Kigio Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya	Animals on the way to and at Kigio: Rhino, zebras, warthogs, impalas, and several birds
329	June 11	Kigio Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya Lake Manyara National Park, Kenya Visit to the "Saidia" orphanage Kigio Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya	Animals at Lake Manyara: Impalas, zebras, water bucks, baboons, buffalo, gazelles, giraffes, rhinos, a lion's tail, and a lot of birds
330	June 12	Kigio Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya	Animals at Kigio: Spotted owl Animals at Masai Mara: Warthogs, male lion, and several birds Cultural dance of Masai warriors at dinner
331	June 13	Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya	Hot air balloon ride! (Animals seen from balloon: giraffe, male lion, hippo, impala) Champaigne breakfast on the Mara after balloon landing, followed by afternoon and evening game drives Animals at Masai Mara: Hippos in Mara river, cheetah with 2 cubs, ostriches, water bucks, dik diks, lions (very near where our van got stuck in the mud and we had to get out and push!), elephants, a lot of birds, and millions of flies! Visit to Masai village
332	June 14	Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya Nairobi, Kenya	Animals at Masai Mara: Giraffes Return to Nairobi Karen Blixen Museum Giraffe Center
333	June 15	Nairobi, Kenya NBO JRO Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania	Animals on the way to Ngorongoro: Baboons, impalas, giraffes, monitor lizards, elephants, and several birds
334	June 16	Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania	Animals at Ngorongoro Crater: Male and female lions, Servo cat, hyenas eating a zebra, buffalo, flamingos, jackals, wildebeest, warthogs
335	June 17	Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania Tarangire National Park, Tanzania	Animals at Tarangire: Elephants, zebra, impalas, ostriches, giraffes, monkeys, cheetah
336	June 18	Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Arusha, Tanzania JRO NBO Nairobi, Kenya	Animals at Tarangire: Impalas, baboons, elephants, wild dogs
337	June 19	Nairobi, Kenya NBO JNB Johannesburg, South Africa	Finally a relaxation day! Flight to Johannesburg
338	June 20	Johannesburg, South Africa JNB LVI Livingstone, Zambia	Flight to Livingstone Victoria Falls: "The Smoke That Thunders"!!! (Zambia side)
339	June 21	Livingstone, Zambia Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Livingstone, Zambia	Victoria Falls: "The Smoke That Thunders"!!! (Zimbabwe Side)
340	June 22	Livingstone, Zambia LVI JNB DXB	Return flight to Johannesburg and overnight connecting flight to Dubai
341	June 23	DXB AMM Amman, Jordan	Another connecting flight from Dubai to Amman Meeting with tour group
342	June 24	Amman, Jordan Jerash, Jordan Amman, Jordan	Visit to Jerash: part of the Roman Decapolis (10 cities of the East): theaters, churches, temples of Zeus and Artemis, a Nymphaeum and colonnaded street! City tour of Amman: Roman amphitheater, all sights and views from top of the Citadel
343	June 25	Amman, Jordan Mt. Nebo, Jordan Madaba, Jordan Shobak, Jordan Petra, Jordan	Drive to Mt. Nebo, burial site of Moses Drive to Madaba, with Mosaic Workshop and Handicraft Center, followed by St. George's Church Drive to Shobak, with 1000 years old Crusader castle Drive to Petra, with candlelight walk to the Treasury Building!!!
344	June 26	Petra, Jordan	All-day visit to Petra UNESCO World Heritage Site: "The Siq" (with reminders of Zion National Park in Utah!) Treasury Building Tomb 67 "Street of Facades" Necropolis Mule ride 2/3rd the way up to the monastery (including falling off my mule named "Whiskey" TWICE!) Hike 1/6th the way further up towards the monastery Hike all the way back through "The Siq" to the exit ICE CREAM ON A HOT DAY!
345	June 27	Petra, Jordan Wadi Rum, Jordan Amman, Jordan	Trip to Wadi Rum desert, including ride in the back of a 4x4 Jeep: Dune climbing, tea at Bedouin camp, no camel ride for me Long drive back to Amman "Washing clothes in the sink day"
346	June 28	Amman, Jordan Dead Sea, Jordan Ma'in Hot Springs, Jordan Dead Sea, Jordan Bethany, Jordan Dead Sea, Jordan Amman, Jordan	Visit to the Ma'in Hot Springs (got soaked again) Unsuccessful attempt to go to the site of Jesus Christ's Baptism at Bethany Back to Dead Sea and Amman for farewell dinner
347	June 29	Amman, Jordan Jerusalem, Israel	Drive from Amman to King Husayn Bridg Drive across King Husayn Brige in Jordan until name changes to Allenby Bridge in Israel Drive from Allenby Bridge to Jerusalem 2 hours later (that's how long it took to cross the border!) Meeting with new tour group in Jerusalem Walk to Old City to see the Shabbat celebrations at the Wailing Wall
348	June 30	Jerusalem, Israel	Jerusalem tour: View of Old City from Mount of Olives Room of the Last Supper (Coenaculum) King David's Tomb Citadel/Tower of David Museum Church Of The Holy Sepulchre Western Wall (Wailing Wall)

July 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
349	July 1	Jerusalem, Israel	Jerusalem Old City and Jewish Quarter tours: Jerusalem Archaeological Park Western Wall on non-Shabbat Day The Western Wall Tunnels Via Dolorosa and stations of the Cross Byzantine Cardo Burnt House Karaite Jewish Synagogue Herodian Quarter - Wohl Museum "Jerusalem by Night" tour Cable Car Monument on Mt. Zion
349	July 2	Jerusalem, Israel Bethlehem, Israel Jerusalem, Israel	Mt. Herzl National cemetary Yad Vashem Memorial Shrine of the Book at Israel Museum Church of Nativity in Bethlehem Walking around the city at night
350	July 3	Jerusalem, Israel Masada, Israel Dead Sea, Israel	Mt. Masada National Park Drive down to the Dead Sea Floating in the saltiest sea in the world!
351	July 4	Dead Sea, Israel Beit Alfa, Israel Beit She'an, Israel Galilee, Israel	Drive from Dead Sea to Sea of Galilee, with stops at a school in Beit Alfa and ruins at Beit She'an National Park
352	July 5	Galilee, Israel	Day of rest for me (did not go on optional tour to Golan Heights)
353	July 6	Galilee, Israel Nazareth, Israel Haifa, Israel Caesaria, Israel Tel Aviv, Israel	Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth Baha'i Gardens with view of Haifa port Roman ruins at Caesaria National Park Drive down to Tel Aviv
354	July 7	Tel Aviv, Israel	Sunset at Banana Beach
355	July 8	Tel Aviv, Israel TLV LCA Larnaca, Cyprus Limassol, Cyprus Pafos, Cyprus Limassol, Cyprus	Early morning flight from Tel Aviv to Larnaca Cyprus Roadtrip: Kourion Archaeological Site Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates Birthplace of Aphrodite Site Palaipaifos Archaeological Site and Kouklia Local Museum (Aphrodite's Sanctuary)
356	July 9	Limassol, Cyprus	A day of rest
357	July 10	Limassol, Cyprus	Another day of rest
358	July 11	Limassol, Cyprus Pafos, Cyprus Larnaca, Cyprus LCA JTR JTR Thira, Greece	Roadtrip to the Western end of the island and back to Larnaca Tomb of the Kings (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Pafos Archaeological Site (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Flight from Larnaca, Crete to Thira, Santorini
359	July 12	Thira, Greece Akrotiri, Greece Oia, Greece	Roadtrip around the island of Santorini
360	July 13	Oia, Greece	Relaxing in Oia :-)
361	July 14	Oia, Greece Thira, Greece JTR ATH HER Heraklion, Greece Kato Gouves, Greece	Flight from Thira, Santorini to Athens to Heraklion, Crete
362	July 15	Kato Gouves, Greece Sitia, Greece Kato Gouves, Greece	Roadtrip to the Eastern end of the island
363	July 16	Kato Gouves, Greece Kissamos, Greece Kato Gouves, Greece	Roadtrip to the Western end of the island
364	July 17	Kato Gouves, Greece Heraklion, Greece Kato Gouves, Greece	Palace of Knossos
365	July 18	Kato Gouves, Greece HER ATH RHO Rhodes, Greece	Flight from Heraklion, Crete to Athens to Rhodes City Walk around old town Realizing this was "Day #365", going out for dinner and an "unusual" dessert!
366	July 19	Rhodes, Greece	Another "do nothing" day in preparation for a BIG trip coming up...
367	July 20	Rhodes, Greece RHO ATH IST Istanbul, Turkey	Flight from Rhodes to Athens to Istanbul
368	July 21	Istanbul, Turkey	Tour of Istanbul: Spice Bazaar (For me: surrounding area after roaming around for 5 minutes) Grand Bazaar (For me: Sitting in the shade outside it after roaming around for 5 minutes) Sultanahmet Mosque ("Blue Mosque") Hippodrome Topkapi Palace Basilica Cistern Ayasofya ("Hagia Sophia") Turkish dinner show
369	July 22	Istanbul, Turkey Gallipoli, Turkey Troy, Turkey Canakkale, Turkey	Drive from Istanbul to Canakkale: Roaming around Gallipoli harbor at lunchtime Ferry crossing of Dardanelles from Europe to Asia Tour of ancient city of Troy
370	July 23	Canakkale, Turkey Bergama, Turkey Izmir, Turkey	Drive from Canakkale to Izmir: Tour of Pergamum Asclepion Roaming around Izmir waterfront area at night
371	July 24	Izmir, Turkey Ephesus, Turkey Izmir, Turkey	Day trip to Ephesus: Ephesus Archaeological Site (UNESCO World Heritage Site) House of Virgin Mary Tomb of St. John the apostle View of Temple of Artemis site (one of the seven wonders of ancient world)
372	July 25	Izmir, Turkey Hieropolis-Pemukkale, Turkey Antalya, Turkey	Drive from Izmir to Antalya: Hieropolis-Pemukkale National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
373	July 26	Antalya, Turkey	A day of nothing
374	July 27	Antalya, Turkey Konya, Turkey Nevsehir, Turkey	Drive from Antalya to Nevsehir: Caravanserai of Agzikarahan in Konya
375	July 28	Nevsehir, Turkey	Day tour of Cappadocia (UNESCO World Heritage Site): Goreme open air museum with 4 churches Underground City Whirling Dervishes Performance
376	July 29	Nevsehir, Turkey Ankara, Turkey	Drive from Nevsehir to Ankara: Tuz Golu Salt Lake Anitkabir Turkish Museum Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk Anatolian Civilizations Museum
377	July 30	Ankara, Turkey Istanbul, Turkey	Drive from Ankara to Istanbul Lake Sapanca Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Group farewell dinner at Okyanus restaurant (with Raki!)
378	July 31	Istanbul, Turkey IST VIE Vienna, Austria	A "resting morning" in Istanbul and "hectic afternoon" in Istanbul airport Evening flight to Vienna A "resting evening" in Vienna

August 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
379	August 1	Vienna, Austria	"Administrative duties" (part 1)
380	August 2	Vienna, Austria	"Administrative duties" (part 2)
381	August 3	Vienna, Austria	Attempt to go out in the afternoon: foiled by rain Evening at Stephansplatz, and my first Viennese pastry
382	August 4	Vienna, Austria Munich, Germany MUC Munich, Germany Vienna, Austria	Daytrip to Munich airport to cancel Icelandair flight reservation
383	August 5	Vienna, Austria Bruck an de Mur, Austria Villach, Austria Ljubljana, Slovenia	Trains to Villach and Ljubljana Including Semmering Railway line (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Lunch in Villach old town and dinner in Ljubljana old town
384	August 6	Ljubljana, Slovenia	A do nothing day
385	August 7	Ljubljana, Slovenia Dobova, Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia	Pre-dawn walk along the Ljubljanica River Scenic train ride along Sava River from Ljubljana to Dobova Back to Ljubljana on the same train
386	August 8	Ljubljana, Slovenia Villach, Austria Vienna, Austria Budapest, Hungary	Three trains from Ljubljana to Budapest (instead of one direct train in the morning)
387	August 9	Budapest, Hungary	Hanging out on the Buda side of the Danube River Getting hopelessly lost late at night on the Pest side of Budapest while taking 1 bus, 2 trams, and 3 subway trains to try and get back to the hotel!
388	August 10	Budapest, Hungary	Hanging out on the Pest side of the Danube River (i.e. my hotel: a do nothing day)
389	August 11	Budapest, Hungary	Huge Communist-era sculptures at Memento Park Avoiding the rain rest of the day
390	August 12	Budapest, Hungary	A do-nothing day
391	August 13	Budapest, Hungary Vienna, Austria Budapest, Hungary	Daytrip to Vienna to do my laundry!
392	August 14	Budapest, Hungary	"The Citadel" Taking some buses around town Nighttime Danube River walk: Elizabeth Bridge, Buda side of river, Chain Bridge, Pest side of river
393	August 15	Budapest, Hungary	Hop-on, hop-off bus tour: only hopped off at Castle Hill, spent rest of the day at Fisherman's Bastion and Castle Hill
394	August 16	Budapest, Hungary	Searching 3 different malls for a replacement camera lens shade without success
395	August 17	Budapest, Hungary	Last day in Budapest: Walked around Castle District: Labyrinth Fisherman's Bastion for sunset and stayed after dark
396	August 18	Budapest, Hungary Vienna, Austria Prague, Czech Republic	Trains from Budapest to Vienna to Prague
397	August 19	Prague, Czech Republic	Powder Tower Old Town Square Chocolate Museum (with praline-making demonstration and tasting) 3-hours walking tour of Old City and Jewish Quarter (skipped the New Quarter part) Nighttime walk to Charles Bridge and back, via Old Town Square
398	August 20	Prague, Czech Republic	Nothing
399	August 21	Prague, Czech Republic	Nothing
400	August 22	Prague, Czech Republic	An evening out to celebrate "Day #400"
401	August 23	Prague, Czech Republic Dresden, Germany	Train from Prague to Berlin Dresden Roaming around Dresden's old town area with sunset over the Elbe River
402	August 24	Dresden, Germany	Nothing much...
403	August 25	Dresden, Germany	Meeting up with a couple of people who are an inspiration for my long-term travel (They've been doing this for 3 years so far!)
404	August 26	Dresden, Germany Berlin, Germany	Train from Dresden to Berlin Unsuccessful attempt to go out for dinner
405	August 27	Berlin, Germany	Staying in the hotel room all day doing research for the next month :-)
406	August 28	Berlin, Germany Hamburg, Germnay Berlin, Germany	Attempt to go to Berlin360 observation tower in the afternoon (got ticket for evening) Train to Hamburg because it started raining Train back to Berlin because I had a ticket to Berlin360 observation tower Berlin360 observation tower with sunset
407	August 29	Berlin, Germany	A day of "being lost" in Berlin (physically and mentally)
408	August 30	Berlin, Germany Frankfurt Main, Germany Basel, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Trains from Berlin to Frankfurt to Basel to Luzern
409	August 31	Luzern, Switzerland	Hanging out in my favorite city in Switzerland

September 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
410	September 1	Luzern, Switzerland Arth-Goldau, Switzerland Milan, Italy MXP	Trains from Luzern to Arth-Goldua to Milan to Malpensa airport
411	September 2	MXP	"Mission #1" Hanging out at Malpensa airport
412	September 3	MXP Bellinzona, Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland ZRH	Trains from Milan Malpensa airport to Bellinzona to Zurich to Zurich airport "Mission #2" and roaming around Zurich's old town with an old friend from while I was in Kenya
413	September 4	ZRH	"Mission #3" and catching up with old friends from while I was in China
414	September 5	ZRH Olten, Switzerland Mannheim, Germany FRA Leverkusen, Germany	Trains from Zurich airport to Olten to Mannheim to Frankfurt airport Rented a car and drove to Leverkusen
415	September 6	Leverkusen, Germany Rhine River, Germany Leverkusen, Germany	Drive half-way down the Rhine River in Germany before turning around and returning to Leverkusen
416	September 7	Leverkusen, Germany Cologne, Germany Kinderdijk, Netherlands Aalter, Belgium	Cologne Cathedral The windmills at Kinderdijk (in summer this time) Drive down to Aalter Hanging out in Aalter's town square
417	September 8	Aalter, Belgium Brugge, Belgium Paris, France	Roaming around Brugge and eating chocolate and fries (not together) Drive down to Paris Schloss Vaux-le-Vicomte with my Parisian friends from Tibet
418	September 9	Paris, France	Versailles Palace Eiffel Tower at night from Trocadero
419	September 10	Paris, France	Notre Dame cathedral St. Chapelle cathedral Champs de Mars/Eiffel Tower/Trocadero in daytime Arc de Triomphe (exterior) Champs-Elysses Pont Alexander III at night
420	September 11	Paris, France	Musee d'Orsay Musee Rodin The once-glorious and now-horrible Montparnasse tower (view of Paris from top) Pantheon (exterior) Dinner with my Parisian friends from Tibet
421	September 12	Paris, France	Musee du Louvre (all of Denon Wing and 1/2 of Sully Wing) Tuileries Gardens Place du Concorde Montmartre Sacre Couer cathedral Eiffel Tower at night
422	September 13	Paris, France FRA Mannheim, Germany Mulhouse, France	Drive from Paris to Frankfurt airport to return rental car Trains from Frankfurt airport to Mannheim to Mulhouse
423	September 14	Mulhouse, France Bale, France Basel, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Train from Mulhouse to Bale (Basel) Walking across the "border" from the French station to the Swiss station in Bale/Basel Train to Luzern
424	September 15	Luzern, Switzerland Interlaken, Switzerland Grindelwald, Switzerland Kleine Sheidegg, Switzerland Jungfraujauch, Switzerland Kleine Sheidegg, Switzerland Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland Interlaken, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Daytrip to the highest railway station in Europe at Jungfraujoch
425	September 16	Luzern, Switzerland Bern, Switzerland Visp, Switzerland Zermatt, Switzerland Schwarzsee, Switzerland Zermatt, Switzerland Brig, Switzerland Bern, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Daytrip to Zermatt and Mt. Matterhorn (Cable car from Zermatt to Schwarzsee and a short walk in the mountains under the shadow of Matterhorn)
426	September 17	Luzern, Switzerland Goschenen, Switzerland Andermatt, Switzerland Disentis/Muster, Switzerland Scuol-Tarasp, Switzerland Samedan, Switzerland St. Moritz, Switzerland Chur, Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Roaming around by train through the Swiss Alps Rhatische Bahn UNESCO World Heritage Railway (between St. Moritz and Thusis)
427	September 18	Luzern, Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland ZRH Geneva, Switzerland Olten, Switzerland Luzern, Switzerland	Zurich for lunch Evening train hop to Geneva in the rain
428	September 19	Luzern, Switzerland	A rainy day of rest, updating the last 2 weeks of this table of contents, and going through the last 3800 photos.
429	September 20	Luzern, Switzerland Milan, Italy Venice, Italy	Trains from Luzern to Milan to Venice An evening stroll around the Venizia Santa Lucia train station with "some" gelatos
430	September 21	Venice, Italy	Roaming around Venizia all day with "some more" gelatos
431	September 22	Venice, Italy Rome, Italy	Train from Venice to Rome Trevi Fountain in the evening/night with "some more" gelatos Coloseum at night
432	September 23	Rome, Italy Naples, Italy Pompei, Italy Naples, Italy Rome, Italy	Train from Rome to Naples to Pompei Roaming around Pompei all day Train back from Pompei to Naples to Rome
433	September 24	Rome, Italy	A walk to the Subway station at Repubblica, an adventure to get on the train, then getting off the train at Barberini A visit to the police station Some phone calls back at the hotel Piazza Spagna (Spanish Steps) Piazza de Popolo Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena in Campo Marzo Piazza Navona
434	September 25	Rome, Italy	St. Peter's Basilica in the evening
435	September 26	Rome, Italy	Vatican Museums Trevi Fountain in daytime Coloseum visit A Savior by UPS delivery
436	September 27	Rome, Italy Florence, Italy Pisa, Italy Florence, Italy	Trains from Rome to Florence to Pisa Visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in partial rain (I did not climb it) Back to Florence in the evening
437	September 28	Florence, Italy	Attempt to go to Galleria della Accademia: Closed due to strike Duomo Cathedral (exterior) Ponte Vecchio and river walk in the evening
438	September 29	Florence, Italy	Rest day/Sick day
439	September 30	Florence, Italy Milan, Italy MXP Milan, Italy MXP	Trains from Florence to Milan to Malpensa airport Train back to Milan and a visit to Piazza de Duomo Train back to Malpensa airport again Reminiscing about the past 1 1/2 years...

October 2012:

Day #	DATE	PLACES	HIGHLIGHTS
440	October 1	MXP IST LAX SJC	Flights back home: From Milan to Istanbul to Los Angeles to San Jose!