Tag: RTW

USA :: Houston Space Center (NASA)

Leave a comment

” Houston, we have a problem here.”
– John Swigert

That’s right. John Swigert, NOT Jim Lovell. While Lovell‘s transmission became part of NASA history, it was command module pilot John Swigert who actually called Houston first about the problem. Here’s the official NASA transcript on the incident.

Jim Lovell (Mission Commander), John Swigert (Command Module Pilot), Jack Lousma, CAPCOM (Mission Control)

Swigert: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Lousma: “This is Houston. Say again please.”
Lovell: “Houston, we’ve had a problem. We’ve had a main B bus undervolt.”

Continue reading →

USA :: VALENTINES AND RODEO IN KATY, TEXAS

Leave a comment

“Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low
And put some music on that’s soft and slow”
– Josh Turner

A perfect example of why I have a serious distaste for country music. Sorry, but we can’t all like it…

Anyway, I wasn’t in Texas for the music, I was there to visit my cousin Katrine who I hadn’t seen for years. She’d had a flash wedding in Norway then up and moved over there because her now-husband, Lars Gunnar, was sent there for work. I’m not the only one in our family embracing adventure ❤
Continue reading →

Hawaii :: Two Months in Honolulu

Leave a comment

“Every day of the year where the water is 76, day and night, and the waves roll high, I take my sled, without runners, and coast down the face of the big waves that roll in at Waikiki.”
– Duke Kahanamoku

I had originally planned on island hopping from Australia to Chile going by New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, etc etc, but when I got to Fiji I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. I was just going through the motions and not really enjoying myself. I felt like I was just going places so that I can check them off my list and that’s not how I wanted to travel. So I sat down and tried to figure out what I WANTED to do and Honolulu immediately came into my mind. The pull of staying there for a elongated period of time was so immense I decided to see what I could get for the amount of money I had originally allocated to island hopping.

Continue reading →

Hawaii :: Kualoa Ranch

Leave a comment

AK: “I want to go, but I guess I can’t afford it.”
Christin: “Hold my beer.”

Being a huge fan of both films in general and Oahu in general I wanted to go do the Kualoa Ranch tour, but decided not to as it was really expensive and I’d already done the Hawaii Five-O Tour. Without knowing this one of my oldest and dearest friends bought me a gift card for my birthday (or Christmas, doesn’t really matter) at Veltra, a place that sells experiences. They had Kualoa on their list and I was overjoyed! Full day Kualoa Total Experience Package, here I come!

Continue reading →

Hawaii :: Christmas in Honolulu

Leave a comment

” Hula is the language of the heart, therefore, the heartbeat of the Hawai’ian people.”
– Kalakaua

Finding something to do for Christmas Eve in Honolulu isn’t hard, that’s why I love this place. It’s got fantastic beaches, great weather, happy people (because they’re on vacation) and chill atmosphere. But if you need it – there’s always something going on. A concert, a play, an impromptu standup, slowly eating an ice cream cone while Santa is dancing and singing at one of the local malls (and a high standard one at that).

Continue reading →

Hawaii :: Honolulu my heart

Leave a comment

“Honolulu, it’s got everything. Sand for the children, sun for the wife, sharks for the wife’s mother.”
– Ken Dodd

While my trip was about seeing as much of the world as I could cram in with the budget I had, I found that for a while now I had thought of about going back to Honolulu – a place I’d been to once before and fallen completely in love with.

Continue reading →

Fiji – Fire dances, sunsets and the largest Hindu temple in the Pacific

1 Comment

“People here always said to me, ‘Why would you leave civilization to go to a place like Fiji?’ Fiji is a far more civilized place than California or New York City.”
– Raymond Burr

There’s so much cool stuff in the world. On the tiny island of Likoma, Malawi I found St. Peter’s Cathedral, a large Anglican church built by stones imported by many different countries. And on Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji I found Sri Siva Subramaniya, the largest Hindu temple in the Pacific.

Continue reading →