koala

Robin gets a fresh koala

One thing Rob was really looking forward to in Australia was getting the chance to hold a koala, those cute eucalyptus-eating furry little critters. So after arriving in Brisbane the first order of business was to head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We arrived at a fortuitous time, as the line of folks waiting..

No shortage of produce options, some recognizable and others not so much, at the downtown market in Nadi, Fiji.

Adding a little spice to Fiji

Robin (our family chef) and I (our sous chef, or dish washer) both enjoy cooking, so when we heard about a cooking class in Fiji we decided to sign up. The Flavors of Fiji Cooking School offered a tour of the local market and then a chance to cook two different meals in their kitchen:..

Not the best start

I really didn't think I'd be writing a true trip post this soon. After all, we are in Phase 1--driving to Louisiana and then Texas, which is something we do several times a year. Yet, I think this worthy. Normally, when we make this trip, we avail ourselves of the generous hospitality of our friends..

map of New Zealand

The Plan

The original thought had been a week in Hawaii. But once I realized we had enough airline miles to get us to Oceania and back the decision was kind of a done deal. Flying into Brisbane where our friends live was going to require a layover in Fiji anyway, so we decided to make it..

Tom and Robin

Here we go again

I have one of those digital picture frames, and the photo here pops up sometimes--it is us the day we returned from the 2010 around the world trip--and it stirs my wanderlust. It's been awhile since we've had a chance to do some serious traveling. Something to do with moving across the country three times..