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World Explorer

@live4sights.bsky.social

830 followers 1.1K following 1.5K posts

■ World citizen & explorer ■ Ravenous foodie ■ Island hopper, scuba diver & cruiser ■ Quiet thinker ■ Tech & product geek ■ Amateur photographer ■ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 ■ "Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." » Ibn Battuta

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World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · Aug 6

Hello everyone on #Bluesky!

Not here quite a year yet but coming up in a few months.

A lifetime nomad without a home and ironically, a homebody who also loves to travel and explore.

Be kind to each other. Let's keep Bluesky the civil, inclusive, and diverse space that it is. 😊

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 7h

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🛳️ Ponta Delgada, Azores, PT
🗓️ 2024 Oct. 23

↖️ View of the port city.
↗️ Waterfront boulevard and marina.
↙️ Mercado da Graça - a local food and fresh produce market. When I visited, it was being renovated and all stalls moved into the parking garage.
↘️ Long-exposure action shot.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 7h

Yeah... and I'm about to leave for Europe in a month for about 2 weeks. Thanks, Trumpster! 😠

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 7h

Yeah... Japanese breakfast is not something to rave about - still not a fan of natto - but the ryokan dinners are incredible with the variety, textures and preparation techniques.

It must have been quite an exciting year to live in Japan for a year with a Japanese family.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 10h

I should share what some of the foods served look like at the Ryokan Wakamatsu Honten, just across from the historic Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Narita.

Mine was a multi-course dinner ↖️↗️ and a Japanese breakfast ↙️.

Both meals came with a paper cheat sheet ↘️ that showed what I was eating.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 11h

It was like a discovery of new taste sensations and so pleasing to the eye too. Definitely a highlight of mine when I stayed in a ryokan at Narita.

PS: Go during the shoulder seasons when it's more affordable.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 11h

» "Hunger games" is the worst on VV. Booking a specialty restaurant - true on most cruise lines too - is stressful and painstaking. But pay the higher $$$ fares and you'll get in.

» I've been on 3 VV cruises and I've yet to book a group fitness class successfully. Hey VV - have more classes!

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 11h

Some thoughts on the YT video:

» Nailed it on several points on why this is a bad move by #VirginVoyages.

» I believe the tips are mandatory. Like everyone else, VV did it to make their cruise fares seem cheaper i.e. not including the USD $20-22 per day charge until final payment page.

More... ⤵️

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 11h

I should have said "boring and boorish tourist".

Stop ruining it for us who want that authentic experience.

And if you can't behave yourself when you're in someone else's country, stay home!

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 11h

🧳📰 TRAVEL NEWS

Be an explorer and stop being a boring tourist!

Ryokan meals are some of the best meals on Earth, carefully prepared using seasonal, local ingredients.

Don't stay at a ryokan if you don't want that unique experience. Stick to your Hiltons! 😠

unseen-japan.com/kyoto-ryokan...

Kyoto Ryokans Stop Serving Traditional Japanese Food That Foreign Tourists Hate - Unseen Japan

Many inbound travelers to Japan love staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan. However, they're not so keen on the food that comes with it.

unseen-japan.com

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World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 12h

Looks good! 😋

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World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 1d

😮 Interesting Sights
🌏 Odaiba-Tokyo, Japan
🗓️ 2023 Oct. 18

The times are "a-changing" as evident by the need to attend Drone School for aspiring techie folks.

Located in a shopping center in Tokyo, I found it fascinating. I actually wouldn't mind a lesson or 2 in flying a drone. Cool stuff! 😁

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 1d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🌍 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
🗓️ 2014 Oct. 22

As a fan of trains, I had to ride the famous Jungfraubahn to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station at 3,454 M (11,333 FT).

What a thrill it was to experience a ride on a railway that took 16 years to build (1896 to 1912). 😁

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 2d

Congrats, Blue Jays, on going to the World Series.

Now... go beat the Los Angeles Dodgers - SF Giants' arch enemy (now that the A's are gone).

Oops... I may have just jinxed the BJ. 🤫

Zee207702🇨🇦🍁🍃🎃🐈‍⬛ @zee207702.bsky.social · 2d

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💯🇨🇦🥂🤭

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World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 2d

🛳️📰 CRUISE NEWS

It's with deep sadness that Virgin Voyages has succumbed to being more like a mainstream cruise line and less of its rebellious, unique self.

VV now adds mandatory tips as a line item to be paid and made their fares more complicated. Keep It Simple, Stupid!

youtu.be/D3jd1JJua2g?...

Did Virgin Voyages Just Lose Its Edge?

YouTube video by Zach the Traveling Man

youtu.be

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World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 3d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🛳️ Tokyo, Japan
🗓️ 2023 Oct. 21

I had an absolutely fantastic holiday in Japan with my Irish lass on her 1st time to Asia.

I showed her around Tokyo and Yokohama before we embarked on a wonderful Celebrity cruise around Japan.

📸 Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 3d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🌍 Rethymnon, Crete
🗓️ 2016 Oct. 20

At a port stop at Chania, Crete, I took a Royal Caribbean shore excursion to Kournas, the Monastery of Arkadi and Rethymnon.

We had some free time to explore the lovely port of Rethymnon on the north coast of the Greek island.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 4d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🌍 Caminito del Rey, Spain
🗓️ 2022 Oct. 19

On an overnight port stop in Malaga, Spain, I went on a 4-hour hike of Caminito del Rey.

Most of the hike was along the walls of Gaitanes Gorge on a narrow boardwalk about 100-300 M above the Guadalhorce river.

Scared of heights? 😮

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 4d

😮 Interesting Sights
🌍 Rome, Italy
🗓️ 2024 Oct. 16

I guess you can just park anywhere you want in Rome... even on a pedestrian crosswalk. 🙄

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Reposted by World Explorer

Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 6d

An astonishingly large crowd!
Chicago

940 12K 44K

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 6d

😮 Interesting Sights
🌏 Odaiba-Tokyo, Japan
🗓️ 2023 Oct. 18

This is the Unicorn Gundam, a full-scale statue of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam from the series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn installed in 2017 at the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba.

And yes, it lights up at night but unfortunately, doesn't move.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 6d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🛳️ Tokyo, Japan
🗓️ 2023 Oct. 18

The new Tokyo International Cruise Terminal was the disembarkation port of my Trans-Pacific cruise from Seattle, WA.

Its location in Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, allows for easy access to Haneda airport, Tokyo Tower and Disneyland.

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 7d

😮 Interesting Sights
🌍 Cadaqués, Spain
🗓️ 2016 March 02

Did you know that the great artist Salvador Dali had an obsession with eggs? To him, it symbolizes birth, love, and hope.

That's why his coastal home has egg sculptures everywhere. I found them fascinating and yes, quirky. 😁

#art #dali #eggs

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 7d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🛳️ Civitavecchia, Italy
🗓️ 2024 Oct. 17

Back on board 1 of my favorite NCL ships. Epic was my 2nd NCL ship when I first boarded her in 2012.

It was NCL's biggest ship then and it made an impression on me - especially the cool solo Studio cabins which I've loved ever since. 🥰

World Explorer @live4sights.bsky.social · 8d

⌛ Travel Back in Time
🛳️ Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
🗓️ 2022 Oct. 16

Here's another #foodie post from the best cruise line for #food - Virgin Voyages!

This is 1 of the fixed menu (it changes after a few days) offerings at The Test Kitchen, my favorite dining spot on board.

A culinary experience! 😋

Reposted by World Explorer

CNBC @cnbc.com · 8d

CNBC Daily Open: Could regional banks' bad loans signal something bigger?

When companies default on very big loans, leading to charges and bankruptcies, it's time for everyone to put on their detective hats.

cnb.cx

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