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Sardinia, Gennargentu Mountains, Italy

I am on the island of Sardinia which is approximately 300 miles (500Km) from the western coast of the Italian mainland, in the Mediterranean. Sardinia is only second in size to Sicily as being the largest island in the Mediterranean. The first segment of my month-long trip to Sardinia is a bike trip. The Backroads Company delivered a fantastic cycling experience. This was a six day ride with generous elevation gains most of the days. The average daily ride was 35-45 miles (58-75Km). Our group of ten was led by a couple of great guys. They were excellent as leaders, as well as cohorts. The Backroads Company arranged all the logistics, as well as lodging/baggage transport, and most meals. From beginning to end this was a well organized and well executed operation. The first few days’ rides were in and around the Gennargentu Mountains. These mountains are extremely rugged with stunning formations of granite rising to elevations in excess of 6,000 feet from sea level.

Our leader Gioele (pronounced Jo-eleh) is seen here giving the group the AM briefing. Each morning we were given the bullets of that day’s ride, as well as some approximate meeting spots along the way. Because each bike was equipped with a handlebar mounted satellite GPS device, it precluded having to ride as a group. It was nearly impossible to lose that day’s ride plan and get lost. Some riders chose to ride solo and some in pairs.

This image is at the beginning of our ride on iconic highway SS 125. The ascending highway can be seen as the horizontal line cutting across the mountains in the distance.

Vineyards along the ride could be seen frequently. Many other fruits and vegetables were also being cultivated.

Refueling with fruits and water after two hours of riding. These were three of my fellow riders who happened to be at our van’s roadside stop when I arrived. (The woman nearest the van bears a striking resemblance to the housekeeper I had in my 2013 trip to Sicily.) Not only did we need water and fruit sugar at these roadside stops, we needed plenty of sunscreen, as we barely saw a cloud for the entire time.

The charming little village nestled in these mountains is San Pantaleo. Little cafes, bars, restaurants, and of course some shopping can be found here. I had time, so I decided to enjoy a beverage at a cafe.

These two women were not part of the biking group, in case that wasn’t obvious.. They were enjoying an Aperol Spritz and a white wine, while also inhaling hard on their vapes. They also spoke with heavy Russian accents. It’s nice to see these Eastern Block folks enjoying some of the same vices as western folks do. See, we have that in common.

From my observations of this guy, he owned the little cafe. I was observing him from one of the cafe’s outdoor tables. He seemed to be constantly pacing, while engaged on his phone, drinking espresso alternating with Aperol Spritzes, and smoking cigarettes incessantly. He’s also a Jack Nicholson fan judging by his tee-shirt.

Motos from Deutschland at the summit rest stop. After spending three hours riding up to this point it’s easy to see why people from all over the EU travel here with their motorcycles to gobble-up these awesome mountain drives and vistas. Their body armor was impressive too. I’m glad no one in our group experienced an incident requiring such protection.

Another pic of my German friends and their powerful machinery. The women looked tougher and stronger than their male counterparts.

Ready for the 17 mile (27Km) ride downhill? Not a lot of shoulder for us here. The idea is to stay your line and hope that everyone else does the right thing too. Any altercation is most likely a horrific one. Besides a possible distracted driver, the most significant danger is a pot hole. However, this highway was in exceptional condition. Had I known at the beginning that there was not one pot hole to be encountered, I could have relaxed a bit more on my handgrips.

Pictured here is the switchback portion of the decent to our lunch spot and then to the sea.

Lunch at the Hotel Villa Cedrino located near the bottom of our decent.

There was an awesome hotel pool here as well. Our group was able to have lunch, but no pool activities were permitted. I get it, “some people just don’t belong.” If I ever revisit this area I will consider a two night stay here. It’s an absolutely peaceful and beautiful location.

Finally back to sea level and in the water. Air temp 85, water temp 78, just perfect.

No photo filters were applied to this image. You think this guy will wish he had used some sunscreen? Ouch, that’s gonna hurt later. He looks like he spent some time in a microwave. And if you zoom in, there’s another small unpleasant surprise waiting.

Moonrise over the mountains, and a picture perfect way to welcome the evening.

Our next ride will be north of our present location on the eastern side of Sardinia. The area we will be visiting and exploring is know as Isola Maddalena and the Parco Nazionale de La Maddalena. These areas will be as stunning as today’s but different; as mountains are replaced with beaches and ocean vistas.

Ambrym & Pentecost Islands, Vanuatu, South Pacific

This place is so National Geographic. The southern part of the Pentecost Island is best known for originating land diving. Land diving is performed from crudely built wooden towers ranging in height from 20-30 meters (66-100 feet). The men dive head first from varying heights. They have only two ripe vines (one tied to each angle). It’s reported that the g-force experienced by the divers at the lowest point in the dive (assuming of course the ground isn’t hit first) is the greatest in the non-industrialized world. Villagers believe that diving can, among other things ensure a successful annual yam harvest. On another note, the ceremonial garments worn by the male villagers is particularly interesting.

The landing site for the morning’s ritual dance performance.

These little villagers are almost always eager to pose with visitors. The girl in the middle, maybe not so much. She has a very suspicious look. It might be more likely that it is directed at the photographer, rather than the woman in the photo.

This little boy with the pensive expression is lost in thought, probably because of the strangely dressed visitors coming to his secluded and quiet island paradise. Some part of him probably thinks the visitors are as alien as those from a spaceship, instead of a modern expedition cruise ship.

This is typical of the living space that the islanders have. Obviously, not a lot of plumbing. While the larger villages (not on this island) have electricity, this village has very little. Not too many architectural controls either.

One of the main players. What stands out in this photo? And there are quite obviously two things. First, the ceremonial dance-wear adorning his north pointing “manhood.” The second is the juxtaposition of his choice of shoewear. He is so clearly proud of these high-tops he can barely stop smiling. Also worth noting is the watch. It’s the only one I saw any villager wearing. I just wonder if he has to be on time for anything.

Here is the dancing ensemble gearing up for today’s performance. Again, those white high-tops look so out of place. Everyone else is shoeless.

The other dancers are in full in costume mode.

Pictured here is the crudely constructed wooden tower. This tower is between 80-90 feet high. The villagers to the right are the singers, almost appearing like a cheerleading squad. (These villagers did not perform anything like the “Village People” doing YMCA.) It was a cappella except for clapping. They sang and danced during all 11 of today’s dives. The villagers believe that diving enhances the divers health and strength. That is unless his head hits the ground first. Then all the good health enhancements end right there. Happy to say that there were no head-plants this day, just some extremely pulled hips, knees. and other joints. While most divers walked off still fueled by their adrenaline rush, a couple of divers had trouble walking after getting to their feet.

This particularly ripped diver is amping up the crowd before he prays for a bountiful harvest and of course, more importantly, a successful dive. No way does he wish to end up with his head between his shoulders.

These villagers are saying good-bye after none of the 11 divers were killed or severely injured in today’s event. I’m sure all those smiles would look like something else had the outcome been different.

A selfie with our Captain on the way back to the ship.

Kids playing on the beach at the end of the day. It’s so beautiful and so innocent. Soon it will be “lights out” if there were any. A simple. yet fulfilling and happy way of life. The question that I ask myself is, if the life experience is measured by happiness, who is better off? Villagers like the ones I experienced today, or city dwellers in the modern world?

Parting sunset after a day filled with interesting and crazy events.

Hope you click in to the next entry. Not sure it will be as colorful and crazy as this one was. Be well until then.

Vava’u and Nuka Islands, Tonga, South Pacific

The Vava’u Island has a rustic but beautiful town, with friendly people. It’s the second largest town with just under 4,000 people. The Islands are an unspoiled tropical paradise and largely unpopulated. Clear water with abundant sea life surrounds these islands. White sandy beaches and seabirds are plentiful. Most inhabitants live off the land here, consuming fruits, vegetables, and fish from the surrounding oceans.

On the way to Tonga I sailed over the Tongan Trench. It is the second deepest trench on Earth. The depth is more than 35,000 feet, or 7 miles. The submarines on board could barely explore these depths as they are limited to only 1.400 feet. Would hate to press that limit and implode, much like the ill-fated Titan submersible did in June of 2023.

A welcome dance performed by the locals. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The locals learn their native language (Tongan) and then English as their second language. Communication was both easy and interesting.

Typical dwellings on the islands. No heat necessary, but air-conditioning would be nice. Forget about that, only fans are sporadically available. What electricity is available is created by generators. The bright side of this situation is that overhead power lines are virtually non-existent.

Nearby farm being cultivated. I asked whether a tractor or manual plows were used to prepare the soil and was relieved to hear it was the former.

Another homestead with adjacent farm. The people grow their own food crops on the land where they live. Notice the water collection system on the right which catches all the roof’s runoff. During the months long dry season this reservoir is heavily relied upon.

Another performance for the visitors. The little kid on the end of course stole the show.

The head Mama. The more colorful the garb, the higher one’s status within the community. She also led the kava ritual. Kava is a drink which produces differing levels of relaxation, depending upon how much is consumed.

Pictured here is a visitor getting involved in the dancing fun. This enthusiastic tourist in the dance bears a striking resemblance to my housekeeper from my trip to Sicily in 2013. It is odd how I encounter other people who closely resemble her during my various travels.

Everyone seems happy, and these tourists especially so. And why not, they have been enjoying the benefits of the kava drink for over an hour.

This guy is a friendly local vendor who is very proud of his wares. It is written all over his warm, yet very confident face.

Today’s snorkel/kayak landing sight. Unfortunately the skies were completely overcast. Consequently, the snorkeling wasn’t great.

As mentioned before, since the skies were cloudy, the colors were not nearly as pronounced as several days ago.

The very rare and elusive blue starfish. Not many of these are known to exist. I was fortunate to be able to capture this image.

Some of the many nearby uninhabited islands are seen as I sail away from Tonga that evening..

So that’s it from Tonga. I have a few sea days before I see land again. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on the planet. It covers just about as many square miles (64 million) of earth’s surface as all the other oceans combined. No wonder it takes days to get to these islands. The next stops are in Fiji. I hope you see me there.

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

First stop after two days at sea Aitutaki, an island within the Cook Islands. Today’s activities are diving/snorkeling and potentially kite boarding. The main reason people are drawn to this spot is because of the lagoon. It is approximately 15km by 12km. It’s filled with colorful fish, giant clams, and sea turtles. Aitutaki is filled with uninhabited motus (islands.) While there are great restaurant and tiki bars, I saw none of that as my time was spent on or in the water.

Map of the expedition. Follow the yellow trail as I proceed westward in my journey. At the extreme left of the image is the eastern coast of Australia. I will include this in my future entries all along the way.

At this point it is important to see the expedition vessel. It accommodates 240 passengers. The Seabourn Pursuit is equipped with 24 zodiac inflatable boats of varying sizes, 18 kayaks, as well as two submarines, capable of depths of 400 meters (or 1200 feet.) It also is capable of dynamic positioning. Dynamic positioning allows the vessel to remain in a specific spot without the use of anchors. It does this using its GPS and all the thrusters and propellers the ship is equipped with. This allows it to remain in place without causing damage to the ocean floor or coral reefs. Also important to note is that there is a fabulous expedition team consisting of anthropologists, marine biologists, ornithologists, dive experts, naturalists, and lecturers. Image courtesy of JD Andrews.

On the zodiac out to the first dive sight. In the distance is the sparsely populated main island of Aitutaki..

The beach (sandbar) nearby to the dive/snorkel sight. This was a stunningly sparse yet beautiful island. This place brought back images of Tom Hanks in Castaway.

Here is a large hermit crab. I wish I had included an object for perspective. It was the size of a kid’s baseball glove.

This island has no inhabitants and it’s only about 1 foot above sea level. Not sure if I’d do an overnight here, unless I was in the trees.

Deserted Beach courtesy of my friend JD Andrews.

Here we go. Nope, we don’t. Not nearly enough wind. So the only option was some pretty good snorkeling.

Can’t go up, so let’s go down. Excellent visibility and colors in the reefs today.

Beautiful colors as well as some small fish. Black tip sharks were seen in the area but I wasn’t lucky enough this time to capture an image.

Giant sea clams were all around. These creatures were about 30 inches (76cm) wide. The approximate weight was 75 pounds (34kg). Think how much chowder you could make from just one of these.

My snorkel buddy in red diving for a closer look see.

Just one more for color at this location.

Short entry, but that’s it for now. The next landing will be in Tonga, approximately 1,000 miles away.

Bora Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia

This was the perfect way to begin a multi-week exploration trip across the South Pacific. The amount of time spent here was not too long, or short. I enjoyed this very special spot for 5 days. The Four Seasons Resort is located on a long motu (a small island created by an ancient volcano crater.) The resort has a water-taxi to the island of Bora Bora for those wishing to explore all of the beautiful areas the main island has to offer. I was content here and never left the property. However, for those choosing to, it is only a short 10 minute ride across the amazingly clear turquoise waters.

Bora Bora’s iconic mountain formation. This is what many people think of when they think of Bora Bora.

One of the few beach front spots with a view toward the main island.

Some of the overwater bungalows at the resort. The sun is so intense that an overcast day was a welcome relief.

My favorite snack before lunch. I can still smell the fresh baked baguettes, and the beer is the local lager. Interestingly, it was created as a substitute over 60 years ago for the coconut liquor which was too strong for the islanders.

Sunrise from my bungalow. When I am under the equator the sunrises appear to me to be sunsets and visa-versa.

Lagoon’s beach. Also great for snorkeling. I only saw one person in the water the entire time of my stay. The lagoon reminds me of the Gilligan’s Island lagoon.

View from the lagoon toward the main island of Bora Bora.

Walkway out to the overwater bungalows. So easy to confuse the bungalows, especially after a few cocktails.

Overwater shot of the bungalows and the stars in the sky.

So I am now preparing for the next leg of my journey. It will take me west for roughly 4,000 miles. As I travel I will be exploring several island countries all along the way to Australia. By for now.

Port-Vendres, France

Charming and quaint. Two adjectives which are perfect when describing this little known destination. Its location in France is just north of the Spanish border on the Mediterranean. It is well known for its numerous fish and seafood restaurants. The local population here is only about 4,000 people.

Typical of this and most fishing villages are flowers. Plantings are almost anywhere you go.

Rocky beach area located right in town. Not the most scenic, but extremely convenient.

This Old fortress on the sea lends a certain charm to this beach area.

View of the village from above. The coastline to the north is France.

St. Tropez and Corsica, France

The beaches I found on the island of Corsica were truly amazing. The waters were warm, the snorkeling incredible, and the French food was delicious. Corsica has much more to offer than just beaches, however that’s about all I was able to experience during my brief visit to the island. Corsica was a planned destination, but we decided to cut the time short and do a drive by (sail by) to St. Tropez on the way to our next destination. So I will briefly cover that stop here as well.

The beautiful colors in the sea surrounding Corsica are unquestionably some of the best. I could float here for hours.

Amazing and not well frequented beaches abound.

This is about as crowded as it gets. While the rocky beaches aren’t the most comfortable, there are also plenty of sandy areas as well.

View to the south where there is some development. Corsica has not been over-developed, as many places in the Mediterranean have been.

Monument to Napoleon. In the sculpture he looks much taller than his actual height of 5’6″.

Less than a day’s sail from Corsica we sailed to St. Tropez. This town has quite a reputation for opulence, excess, yacht competitions, and the like. While there I tried to experience some of what this place has to offer.

This is the coastline on my approach to St. Tropez.

I ended up making friends with a few of the people on this craft which was moored near our vessel. I spent a great afternoon just talking and enjoying a fabulous white French burgundy with them before going into town.

In town, this was the French restaurant I chose to dine in for a very late lunch. It’s name was Le Cafe’ and the wine cellar was quite impressive.

The bread in France is some of the best on the planet, no matter where you choose to dine. I stopped here at Le Cafe’ for a light snack. Escargot anybody?

Here’s a great spot for a cocktail or a coffee. Since it was getting late in the afternoon, I chose a cocktail. And this place served a great “Suze & Tonic.” This is the French twist on the classic British “Gin & Tonic.”

A typical street for some shopping, if that’s your thing. Personally, when I shop it’s for food and beverages. They are most times very enjoyable and delicious, while being easy to transport when you travel.

At this time, I am not quite sure where the next destination will be, except that it will be somewhere in the Mediterranean. I will keep you posted, so to speak.

Taormina, Sicily

Perched way above the deep blue Ionian Sea is the town of Taormina. One of Sicily’s legendary resort towns because of its twisting medieval streets, and a second-century Greek theater which only add to its romantic air.

The winding road taking me up to Taormina. In the distance, the tip of the boot of mainland Italy is visible.

As in Italy, there is no shortage of churches here. And in this one in particular, no shortage of marble and granite.

Extensive use of granite and marble is apparent. This church outdoes the other for not only more use of granite and marble, but better sculptures and columns.

Beautiful coastline looking to the north.

Some of the amazing second-century ruins above the village. If you ever visit Taormina, this is a must see. For me it was way better than the town.

Incredible ruins and views beyond. The ruins are extensive.

Mount Etna in the distance was quiet the first day I was visiting.

The next day, not so quiet. All walking tours on Mount Etna cancelled. Gotta find another activity.

Check out the precarious positioning of this home, especially precarious when you consider the active tectonic conditions in this area.

Off to another part of the Mediterranean soon. I’m looking forward to where ever I end up. I’m thinking France, but time will tell.

Marbella, Spain

Lifestyles of the rich and famous. I didn’t have a lot of time here so I decided to check out the scene at the Nikki Beach Club. Some say this club is past its prime. However, it didn’t disappoint for people watching. The open air concept is fully embraced with outdoor everything. If you are not familiar with Nikki Beach, it’s a luxury beach club concept that combines the elements of music, dining, entertainment, fashion, film and art into one. It has several clubs in prime weather locations around the world.

This local shopper (who bears a slight resemblance to my housekeeper in Sicily back in 2014) seems to be locked out of her car. Maybe she should just head to the disco like her beach bag says.

Oceanside at Nikki Beach Club. Of course there is full oceanside service. Many of these patrons were enjoying chilled bottles of Dom Perignon. What an entirely sybaritic scene.

Poolside at Nikki Beach. No shortage of restylane and botox here. So much that in some cases it could serve as a floatation device. See if you can zoom in on this redheads lips.

Poolside with more action. She won best swimsuit with this creative design. It was a swathy one-piece.

Get that sunscreen on, you sure don’t want to burn.

So, Marbella has a lot more to offer than just a scene like Nikki Beach, however my time was limited here do to my own poor planning. More coming as I spend the autumn in the Mediterranean area. Hope to report soon.

Nida, Neringa, Lithuania

Nida is a small, very low key resort town on the spit of land Neringa, on the Baltic Sea. This idyllic little place is home to only 4 thousand people. It was an old fishing village and retains much of that character today. It’s a time capsule in some ways, one is that the children you see riding their bikes, playing ball, or otherwise things kids do, are almost totally devoid of any electronic devices. The forests you walk through on the way to the beach smell so fragrant with that “woodsy” smell. No need to lock your doors as crime is non-existent.

Tiny marina with the boats of current day fishermen.

Hike up to the largest and highest sand dune known as the “Dead Dune.” In prior centuries, these dunes were constantly moving. Consequently, they would occasionally encroach and bury the fishing villages. In order to prevent this, the villagers constructed walls to impede the movement. This led to the dunes becoming stagnant, and thus dying.

Overlooking the Curonian Lagoon from the dune’s apex.

Another view of the Curonian lagoon. The land along the horizon is mainland Lithuania.

View to the north just minutes before sunset.

In a few days I will head to the Mediterranean for warmer waters and a whole different food experience.