Here we go again!

    Re-reading that previous post from Amed, I realize how depressed we were feeling as we wound down our last trip. We were just going through the motions in Bali and counting the days until we got home. We didn’t really appreciate our subsequent time in Singapore or our return to Hong Kong. Both cities had some special moments (Jurong Bird Park and the ‘Big Buddha’ in particular) but also a lot of ‘blah’ (our fault, not the cities).
    Since then we’ve had short trips to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Cuba to catch up with friends and family and several visits to Atlanta to spend time with the grandkids (and son, and daughter-in-law). Now, we feel rejuvenated and we’re gearing up for another snorkel live-aboard with the crew from California.
    We almost passed on this excursion to the Solomon Islands as the initial announcement came during our darkest time in Bali. We were lucky that we recovered our wanderlust while there were still openings available. We have ten days aboard the ‘Bilikiki’ touring and snorkeling through the Solomon Islands. I have a new camera (Canon PowerShot SX240) and waterproof casing and a new waterproof camcorder (DXG Sportster) which should get a good workout. I’ll try to post a few pictures along the way.
    We’ll stop in Fiji on the way to and from the Solomons. On the way out, we’re spending a few days at Octopus Resort on Waya Island - we enjoyed our time there back in 2006. On the way back, we’ll have a few days on Mana Island (only a day trip there in 2006). We really enjoyed the snorkeling in both places at that time. It will be interesting to see how we feel this year after our experiences in Palau and Raja Ampat and coming on the heels of the Solomons.
    I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do. Hopefully, Fiji won’t be a problem but I’m pretty sure there won’t be any Wi-fi on the boat while we’re wandering around in the Solomon Sea. We have an over-night at a hotel in Honiara but I have no idea how the Internet connections are on Guadalcanal. We’ll see.
    We’ve already committed ourselves for 2014. We’ll be joining Wendy (our California travel guru) on another snorkel live-aboard in Indonesia. This one starts out from Bali and sails through the Komodo National Park area of the ‘Coral Triangle’. It will also feature a land excursion to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Should be a great way to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary.
    Time to get packing!