Author Archives: murray

Balkan Ramblings 2

Posted on October 8, 2026 by murray

Dogs. There are stray dogs and cats in all of the cities and towns we have visited. Not over run with them but there are enough. Most people just put up with them. One of our guides told us that … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Random Thoughts

Posted on October 4, 2026 by murray

We have noted over the last few days that Kosovo and Montenegro are under some major flight paths. You can look up any time of the day and there are at least 4 jet streams crossing the sky. In all … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Guided Day in Tirana

Posted on September 25, 2026 by murray

The weather website said it was going to rain. We are to meet at 9am and it’s raining. Not pouring but hard enough. After a short pow wow we, as a group, decide not to start out as planned with … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tirana, Day 2

Posted on September 20, 2026 by murray

Today we are headed to Parku i Madh i Tiranes (Tirana Lake Park). It was built in 1956/57 using a plan of a Bulgarian designer. The park is 230 hectares, the lake itself is 55 hectares. The park sports 120 … Continue reading →

Posted in Albania | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Indonesia Postscript

Posted on April 16, 2026 by murray

Random thoughts on Indonesia. The streets are crowded. There is enough cars to create a traffic jam and the there are 10 as many scooters as there are cars. The talking horns of years ago seem to be a thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Indonesia | Tagged | Leave a comment

On The Road, Literally

Posted on April 14, 2026 by murray

It’s Monday and we are scheduled to pick up a car and drive in Australia. Haven’t driven there in quite a few years, you know driving on the wrong side and everything. I (we) still prefer paper maps. They give … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Murray Walks Ubud

Posted on April 11, 2026 by murray

It’s 32C and the humidity is 65%. Holy cow it is hot. 32C mid summer in Edmonton is hot but not like this. With the sun directly over head and very little shade on the street I am swimming is … Continue reading →

Posted in Indonesia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Temple Visit

Posted on April 7, 2026 by murray

We only dove 2 dives on Monday so there was time to do a little exploring. Most of the things we found to do here involved long treks but there were a couple of temples that looked worth a visit, … Continue reading →

Posted in Indonesia | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Menjangan Diving

Posted on April 6, 2026 by murray

Didn’t know what to expect as far as diving in Menjangan. One of the ladies on the Neptune liveaboard dove here many years ago and told us she remembered diving walls. Our first day of diving we indeed dove walls. … Continue reading →

Posted in Indonesia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sumberkima

Posted on April 6, 2026 by murray

We booked the Mangroove Bay Boutique Hostel thinking it was in Pemuteran. It is not really in Pemuteran but in Sumberkima. It is not a popular as Pemuteran but it is close to the dock where we can be picked … Continue reading →

Posted in Indonesia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment