100 Travel Stories

The Queen of the Pacific: Hikawa Maru

I have just read your post, with great pleasure and interest! In 1953, my family and I boarded the Hikawa Maru in Seattle for the voyage to Yokohama as one of a group of other families, each of which had a Fulbright Scholar in attendance. In our case, it was my dad. My mother chronicled the experience, day by day in her diary, and again in letters sent to my grandparents in the states. My father did the same via camera.

In 2014 I returned to Japan and visited the ship in what was an emotional but fantastic experience. To my delight, my father’s Kodachrome slides of the ship’s interior could have been taken in 2014, so little had changed.

Thank you for your excellent post detailing the ship and its history. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.”

Ann Kennedy – “Haddock and Dill” – Images, recipes, observations and keepsakes from a life well-lived.

Get a glimpse of the imperial grandeur of Vienna, Austria.
Postcards from Vienna
Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’ – High Park, Toronto
Spring in High Park, Toronto
Chitwan National Park photos.
Elephants and Diwali in Nepal

Toronto Winter Storm – Kensington Market

Toronto winter storm warning: 15 cm of snow expected! The snow was falling all day long. It was more like a blizzard, with strong winds and low visibility. Especially on the shores of Ontario lake. Time for more winter photos.

Posted: February 5, 2022 by Ovi

Frozen: A Canadian Winter Storm Photo Essay

Toronto Islands Winter

I don’t trust any country that looks around a continent and says, “Hey, I’ll take the frozen part.” – Jon Stewart

It may be -30 degrees Celsius with the windchill and half a meter snow. Welcome to the Canadian winter!

One day in February, a winter storm hit Toronto. The perfect timing to go out and confront the nature with a camera.

Fresh snow covered the city, and amazingly, for a metropolis such as Toronto, there is a oasis of peacefulness: the Toronto Islands. A 15 minutes ferry ride from Downtown Toronto and you are in the wilderness, well just during a winter storm!

Posted: January 30, 2022 by Ovi

Cayo Coco Mix: Buick, Lobster and Mojito

A continuation of the Cayo Coco – Beaches and Nature photos post. Random objects on the beach, a vintage Buick 1957 car and, Cuban food and drinks snapshots.

Posted: January 22, 2022 by Ovi

A Touch of Cayo Coco: Beaches and Nature

Somewhere in Cayo Coco, Cuba. Sometime during the “prohibition” years…

Cayo Coco (“The Keys”) is an wild island in central Cuba with a colorful past. A hideout for pirates during the colonial times and a target of a Cuban exile group who used machine guns to attack the first resort opened on the island in 1994 and 1995.

The island provided settings for Ernest Hemingway‘s Islands in the Stream and The Old Man and the Sea. (Wikipedia)

White sand and calm beaches, protected by a 400 kilometer long coral barrier.

Posted: January 15, 2022 by Ovi

Winter in High Park Toronto

One Christmas day, first snow in Toronto. Getting up early in the morning for a winter wonderland photoshoot at High Park, Toronto. Good timing: lockdown and holidays, more ducks than people.

An overcast day, the photos are more like in black and white – contrasting with the vibrant colours of Fall or with the bright greens of Summer.

Winter in High Park photos and quotes.

Posted: December 29, 2021 by Ovi