Hello! This is the infamous travel blog for OWLs (Older Wiser Ladies) ages 40 to 80 plus.
We have traveled the planet in search of comfortable places to be beau-dacious!
Join our adventures!

26 April 2011

Turkish Seaports

My friend Denise has a son who is a pilot out of Istanbul, and soon also in Cesme, Turkey. We just spoke to him using Skype---a fabulous long distance online program to talk to loved ones who live on the other side of the world. Go to Skype.com for the free download.

I remember visiting southern Turkey twice, taking a ferry boat from the Greek Islands of Kos and another year from Rhodes. It's a hop-skip-jump to such places as Marmaris, Bodrum, Selcuk and the amazing ruins of Ephesus.  

Cesme where my friend's pilot son will be stationed is a grand resort town close to Izmir---a tourist hub. These port cities are all vibrant, tourist cities with lively markets, lots of great shopping, and archeological sites galore. For us OWLs it's best to travel in pairs, although I did travel alone in Turkey and found it quite safe. Hmmm, that reminds me of the time I was offered the services of a young boy about age 14. I was staying in a hotel room in Selcuk which is close to Ephesus. One evening there was a knock at my hotel room door. Standing there was a young boy and the hotel owner who offered me the young man for an evenings entertainment. Apparently a North American woman traveling alone in Turkey without a husband is after one thing---young boys.

I didn't know what to say. Not wanting to be impolite, I thanked him and made sure he knew I had come to see the archeological ruins and was not interested in his offer. I wanted him to know that not every older North American woman leaves her husband in Istanbul to do business and comes to Selcuk for certain pleasures, as he thought.

Anyway, that said, the western coast towns of Turkey are marvelous places to visit and a short hydrofoil ride from Greece.
Hi to George in Istanbul!!!

22 April 2011

Travel Preparations

Okay, now I'm getting excited about my next trip. I'm returning to Greece and Italy in 2011. Interesting to note that this trip chose me, not the other way around. I had no intention of returning to Greece again, having visited this amazingly beautiful country four times in the 1990s---and many reincarnations in other lifetimes, too. So why again and why now?

I was invited by the Greek Gods. Well, okay, not quite, but almost. I haven't seen my friend who owns Dive Med on the island of Rhodes for many years---it was time. He and his brother run a tourist diving boat; a wonderful experience to learn how to scuba dive and float along the big blue turquoise ocean for a day. Catch up with Dive Med at Mandraki Harbour, or call +30 6932647152 (mobile) for info. Yes, you can learn how to scuba dive in an afternoon!

Greece's economy is failing fast, there are strikes happening, and the people are not happy campers (as we say in Canada). Still, after everything that's happened there, the beauty of the land is a big draw. I love visiting a country where the ancient history impels me to research it and, thus, I am led there. And I am intending to bring a spark of renewal to the Light of Greece.

After Greece I fly to Italy for several days, staying in a Tuscan villa with friends for a momentous birthday celebration—a friend is turning 50. I'm the Elder Wise Woman of the group, the rest of our party is mostly late-40s to mid-50ish. Keeping up to them will be good exercise and lots of fun. Speaking of keeping up, Italy appears stable, with the exception of its President who is "up" to his usual shenanigans with young women. There are earthquakes in southern Italy, another Mafia boss was just arrested, and the pizza dough is rising fast! 

Travel Tip: So how am I preparing for this double-country trip? A month before I leave, I pull out my old suitcase and leave it open on a chair. Whenever I come across something I might want to take I toss it into the suitcase. This usually means I have to "unpack" half the things I've tossed in, but this way I don't forget anything. And so what if I do, there's plenty of opportunity to buy forgotten items in Europe!

Travel Tip: The most important item is my "primary."  What's that you ask? It's my money belt with my tickets (airplane & train tickets are taken out of their packaging and folded up), extra credit card, extra ATM card for the bank machines, my passport, driver's license and International Driver's License for rental cars, medical card, and anything else that fits in my "primary" strap-on money belt. It's my safety deposit box and I wear it while traveling, or lock it away in the hotel safe.

Travel Tip: So I've booked all my flights using my air mile points from my credit card—Yahoo!—so it's almost a free trip. Next comes booking the accommodation. I e-mailed a few pensions and BandBs and waited for a response. In Europe I prefer to stay in the smaller family-run hotels. For listings I usually go to the library and take out my favourite travel books, such as Rick Steves, Foder's, Frommer's, Let's Go, and The Lonely Planet. When I buy books it's usually Rick Steves or The Lonely Planet because they suit my budget and my style of travel. You may prefer the others. All of them are good. For history buffs the Cadogen travel guide series is best. Whatever your choice, going to your local library lets you peruse the books before you buy one. Yes, one!  Bring only one book per country and a few city maps.

More tips later. . .

Si va bene,
M.J. ;O)

MAUI--SO BEAUTIFUL

I love Maui, Hawaii. It's a great place for a quick trip to relax and take in sunshine. And I so needed some sun after a wet winter living in the west coast rain forest. A direct flight took five hours and viola! we were on the beach! We rented a car at the airport and stayed in a condo on the NW coast of Maui near Kaanapali. A few days were spent driving around the island, but mostly we hung out in the area, hopping from one beach to the next. 

It is still my favorite place for a quick trip to the sun in the middle of winter!!!! 

Favorite Maui Picks:
Whale & Dolphin Cruise
Watching turtles at the shoreline
Lahaina for shopping and dinner
Lahaina for a walkabout to find the ancient Hawaiian sites
Watching well-known plein air artists painting at Fleming Beach
Seeing the finished paintings at the Ritz Carlton gallery
Hiking the Napali Bay Trail several times
Sunrise at the top of the volcano (photo)
My friends fav was golfing at Kaanapali Golf Course
Suntanning and having our very own Kabana Boy
Toni's Hawaiian Cooking Class

Aloha! xoxo
This is the perfect Maui Condo that we rented:
http://www.vrbo.com/311859
- Property management company is Quam Properties.
They can be reached at jcambier@quamproperties.com,
or 1-808-665-1315 (Julie Cambier).