Japan is comprised of 11 main islands and was a very interested country to visit. Even though Japan is crowded it is probably the cleanest country that I have ever visited. Strangely, trash receptacles were hard to find. People just take their trash home with them for disposal later. The Japanese people are very polite and very friendly. They have an excellent train system and a very complex road system. However, it seems that most major roads are toll roads so driving is expensive in Japan. It is also interesting how every piece of real estate is put to use. Houses have some flowers and shrubs but should there be more land with the house, you will find a vegetable garden or a rice field. No land is wasted. Indeed, Japan was a delight to visit with friendly people and historic sites.

Margaret and I spent a month in the Caribbean, taking two back-to-back cruises from Fort Lauderdale. With a couple of exceptions the Grand Princess and the Holland American Maasdam called on different islands. We visited Aruba, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Dominica Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, Tortilla, and the Bahamas. What I noticed was the wonderful colors used in the buildings, boats, clothes, and nature’s pallet. So this collection is not trying to document or represent the islands but is a variety of scenes that attracted my eye while looking through the camera. Vivid colors everywhere.

Bolivia was a wonderful experience. This landlocked South American country had few tourists but had much to offer. Landscapes, nature, and cultural interests can all be satisfied in Bolivia. There are a lot of open spaces with only 22.7 people per square mile, ranking Bolivia the 216th populated country in the world. The majority of its 9 ½ million inhabitants live in about a half dozen cities. We began our tour in Santa Cruz, its largest city, but a city with an altitude of only 1,371 feet. Starting at a low altitude and working our way up to Sucre at 9,259 was a good approach to this high altitude country. Next was the mining town of Potosi at 12,904 feet above sea level. Potosi is at the base of Cerro Rico, meaning “rich mountain”, and this mountain has yielded more silver than any other mountain in the world. From this point on we stayed at about 12,000 feet or higher. Two very memorable stops were the Salar de Uyuni and the Oruru Carnival. Situated on the Altiplano west of Uyuni is the largest salt lake in the world. Driving across the salt lake is an experience not to be missed. The Oruro Carnival is literally non-stop for two days and one must be there to get a true feeling for its size. Our last stop was a visit to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world at an altitude of 12,254 feet.

We have been to Australia several time but we had never visited South Australia or the Western Australia region. So, a cruise on the Sun Princess that departed Melbourne sailing west all of the way around Australia and back to Melbourne was too good to pass up. Adelaide, Bunbury, Perth, Broome, Darwin were all interesting stops in the south and the west. Australia is a very large country with most of the population and settlements scattered around the coastal areas. These pictures are just a sample of what I saw during this month long cruise.

The Antarctic Peninsula is highly mountainous with its highest peaks rising to about 9,186 feet (2800 km). It has the mildest climate of all Antarctica so has the highest concentration of research stations. The peninsula is also the closest part of Antarctica to South America, thus the most visited. The jagged mountain peaks clad in glaciers, huge open skies, abundant icebergs and abundant wildlife will keep a visitor in a constant state of awe.