Anuradhapura Ancient City

Famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient civilization and Theravada Buddhism, Anuradhapura is one of the ancient Sri Lankan capitals. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world dating to 5th C BC. The many sites can be seen independently via Tuk Tuk over 2-3 days. 

Islands of Penang and Langkawi

Penang is located on the northern part of the Peninsula, and was a famous Straits of Malacca trading hub especially for the British. The colonial style buildings still stand out in its capital city, George Town, a beautiful and modern and surrounded by green mountains. Chinese, Malay and Hindu temples dot the city along with delicious food stands amidst the SE Asian heat and humidity. Further north still is Island of Langkawi on the S Andaman Sea, just south of the border with Thailand.

Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves and Tea Estates

Malaysia's diversity continues from its notable architecture in KL to Hindu cave hikes and on to misty tea estates in the cooler mountains on the peninsula.

Melaka, Malaysia

• Melaka, is a historic trading port in SW Malaysia. It was a powerful sultanate in the 15th C., a center for trade, Islamic learning, and the development of the Malay language. It was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511, followed by the Dutch, and later the British. A fascinating Unesco World Heritage City, its multicultural identity is still reflected throughout the city today. 

Singapore

Home to nearly 6 million people, this "city in a garden" is balancing its role as the economic center of SE Asia with a vision as a green sustainable city. A respite from the heat and humidity is the fantastical Cloud Forest at the Gardens by the Bay. Inside the unusual glass structure is the world's largest indoor waterfall and varieties of tropical flora from walkways above and below the treetops in a mountainous rainforest creation.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

The capital of PEI, Charlottetown, is a quaint maritime city known as the birthplace of confederation in 1864 that led to Canada’s creation. The small town charm is accentuated by the famous Anne of Green Gables stories performed continually during the summer.

Signal Hill, St John’s

Overlooking the entrance to St John’s Harbor is Signal Hill, a strategic defense post and the site of the first Transatlantic wireless signal received by Marconi in 1901. The Cabot Tower built a few years before on the 400-year anniversary of St John’s now holds a museum on this national historic site and a signature hiking destination from the town below.

St John’s, Newfoundland

Although the Norse reached Newfoundland 500 hundred years earlier, it was John Cabot, an Italian navigator employed by King Henry VII, who they say discovered Newfoundland in 1497.

L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

Site of the first Norse settlement in N America (1000 CE), the seafaring Vikings arrived by long boat close to the Gulf of St Lawrence. They set up a base camp of timber and sod buildings in the harsh Northern climate with some iron production to source raw materials for trading.

Greenland to Newfoundland Crossing

Across the Labrador Sea from Nuuk to St Gricquet-Lunaire in Newfoundland, we loosely followed the route of the Norse to reach the new continent of North America.

Nuuk

Originally inhabited by the Inuits around 2500 BCE, Norse settlers led by Eric the Red established two main colonies on the SW coast of Greenland in 986. By the 15th century, they were gone due to climate change (mini-Ice Age) and resource depletion.

Nuuk, Greenland

With icebergs floating in the Harbour during summer, we landed at Nuuk, the Capital of Greenland, to meet its lovely people amidst a harsh environment.

Morro Rock

A volcanic plug 581 ft elevation formed 23 million years ago dominates the town of Morro Bay in Central California. There are a couple of good campgrounds in the area that fill up fast … when it’s not fogged in.

Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

Tulum Ruins

Yucatan Ceynotes

Uxmal

Campeche and Merida

Palenque Ancient Jungle Ruins

 

Dating to 200 BCE, Palenque, in the state of Chiapas, was at its strongest between 500-700 CE before eventually succumbing to conflicts one to two centuries later. Today, steamy Palenque is rising from the jungle as more ancient buildings are discovered. Where howler monkeys scream for territory in the dense tropical canopy, archaeologists estimate that only 10% of the original city has been revealed.