ЧИСТО TRAVEL

На 2 дня, на 2 дня вы забудьте про меня...

2010-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

2 дня в столице Британской Колумбии, Виктории.
Из Порт Анжелеса, Вашингтон, мы едем на пароме. Останавливаемся в Fairmont Empress Resort Hotel.
В планах посетить разные интересные места - музеи, ботанические сады, и погулять по городу.
День первый:
1. Royal BC Museum,
2. Craigdarroch Castle historic house museum,
3. Victoria Butterfly Gardens,
4. The Butchart Gardens вечером хотим посмотреть Световое шоу. Для нас с мамой это уже 3 поездка в Викторию и 3ий раз мы посещаем сады.

День второй:
1. Зиплаининг,
2. Гуляем по городу - шоппинг (хотя курс американского доллара немного ниже, чем канадского), сейчас проходят распродажи Олимпийских сувениров.

2 недели в Перу (наш план)

2010-07-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

В сентябре мы с Пашей едем на 2 недели в Перу. Путешествовать будем на самолетах (больших и маленьких), автобусах, поездах, катерах, пляжных вездеходах и может быть еще на чем-нибудь.
День 1 - перелет Сиэттл - Лима (с пересадками в Лос Анжелесе и Боготе, Колумбия - аэропорт у них там называется Эль Дорадо!!), целый день в Лиме;
День 2,3 - Лима;
День 4 - Автобусом до Паракас, а там нас встретят из турфирмы Zarcillo Connections. Мы заказали 3х дневный тур по Паракасу, Ике и Наске.
День 5 - Паракас: Национальный парк Баллестас...
День 6 - покатаемся на пляжных вездеходах по дюнам Ики...
День 7 - полетаем над Линиями Наски... Ночной автобус до Арекипы.
День 8 - Арекипa, доехать до Каньона Колка (деревушка Кабанаконде).
День 9 - Полеты кондоров.
День 10 - Вернуться в Арекипу и на автобусе доехать до Пуно (озеро Титикака).
День 11 - Oзеро Титикака.
День 12 - Поезд Пуно-Куско: Andean Explorer.
День 13 - Куско и Ольянтайтамбо,
День 14 - Мачу Пикчу!!!
День 15 - Куско: рент машины и поездить по округе,
День 16 - Куско,
День 17 - Перелет Куско-Лима-Богота-Лос Ангелес-Сиэттл. Это будет очень длинный день!

P.S. Наш рейс Лос Анжелес - Богота на пути в Лиму был отменен, и мы зарезервировали места на 1 день раньше - в Лиме проведем на 1 день больше!!!

The Most Visited USA National Parks - 2009

2010-06-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Rank Park Name Visitation
1 Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN,NC - 9,491,437
2 Grand Canyon NP, AZ - 4,348,068
3 Yosemite NP, CA - 3,737,472
4 Yellowstone NP, WY, MT, ID - 3,295,187
5 Olympic NP, WA - 3,276,459
6 Rocky Mountain NP, CO - 2,822,325
7 Zion NP, UT - 2,735,402
8 Cuyahoga Valley NP, OH - 2,589,288
9 Grand Teton NP, WY - 2,580,081
10 Acadia NP, ME - 2,227,698

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass

2010-06-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

We bought ($80) this Pass for our SouthWest trip.

Interesting how any parks we'll visit in a year - till June 2011. Lets start counting:

June 11,12 - Zion NP, Utah
June 13 - Bryce Canyon NP, Utah
June 14 - Arches NP, Utah
June 16 - Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
August 7-8 - Olympic NP, WA
August 21 or 22 - Mt Rainier NP, WA
August 24-26 North Cascades NP, WA

Spain!!!

2010-04-27T21:25:00.001-07:00

Поздравляем!!! Ваша страна Испания

Страна великолепных гор, лазурного моря и голубого неба, радости и удовольствий.

Пройти тест

Фото дня - 7.

2009-05-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Вспоминая зиму...
Аубурн, декабрь 2008.

Фото дня - 6.

2009-05-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Лучше гор, могут быть только горы.
Национальный парк гора Рейнир, штат Вашингтон.
Июль 2008.

Фото дня - 5.

2009-05-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Внутренняя красота.
Лилия из моего сада.

Фото дня - 4.

2009-05-05T11:15:00.001-07:00

Фонтан в Кенте. Возле библиотеки, где я работаю.

Фото дня - 3.

2009-05-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

Без границ... между небом и землей... водой...

Канон Бич, Орегон. Июль 2006.

Фото дня - 2.

2009-04-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Isla Mujeres(остров Женщин), Мексика. Август 2008.

Фото Дня -1.

2009-04-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Я люблю фотографировать людей, природу.
У меня собралась коллекция фотографий, не вошедших ни в один альбом.
И я решила публиковать такие фото под рубрикой "Фото дня".
К тому же это хорошая практика для домашнего проекта - хочу свои лучшие фото в гостевой комнате.

Olympic National Park, август 2008.

Весна в Сиэттле

2009-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Люблю солнечную погоду в Сиэттле!!!

(начало апреля 2009)

HWY 520, Lake Washington and Olympic Mts

Downtown Flags and Space Needle
Waterfront restaurant
Seagull

cherry blooming Pasha

Skagit Tulip Festival

2009-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Каждый год в апреле на севере штата Вашингтон в округе Скажит проходит Тюльпановый фестиваль. В этом году я посетила этот фестиваль в 4й раз.
Хочу поделиться хорошей новостью - в связи с поздним сезоном цветения тюльпановый поля будет открыты для посетителей до 10 Мая - так что у всех желающих увидеть цветочный радуги на земле еще есть время.
Смотри карту цветения.

я с мамой

отражения

один-белый, другой - жёлтый... разноцветие

RoozenGarden
в японском стиле

радуга....

Паша и я

выставочный зал

хорошо в деревне летом....

Numbers, numbers, numberS....

2009-04-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to ReFi my house!!! After 1 crazy week of bank visits and calling banks and motgage companies I locked the rate with US Bank today - hope in couple of weeks I'll be done with all this. Then - I can plan my next trip to France!!!

I found new hobby - Sudoku!!! Great puzzles for attention and logic. My friends gave me electronic version of this game as New Year's present and Pasha taught me the rules.

Belize (from letters to my sister Anna)

2009-03-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

03/22/2009
privet Annushka,
pishu tebe iz Beliza. My prileteli vchera utrom, vzjali mashinu Jeep Suzuki - Manual, Pasha vodit sam.
Po doroge v San Ignasio zaexali v Zoo - ja vpervye uvidela Tucana, Tapira, Jaguars i drugix zhivotnyx.Sejchas my zhivem v malen'koy kabinke v dzhungljax - The Trek Stop. U nas est' dush s dozhdevoy vodoj!!! Zdes' u nas est' nebol'shoj restoran, gde my kushaem i Laptop s Wi-Fi - Cool!!!
Segodnja s utra byl sil'njy dozhd' i my prospali do 9 utra, a potom poexali k drevnemu gorodu Maya - Xunantunich, 10 minut ot nas, cherez rechku pereplyvali na ruchnom parome. Na ruinax mnogo fotkalis' i ja snimala na kameru. Potom posetili Botanicheskiy park, zaexali v San Ignasio - poguljali po gorodu. Na uzhin segondja BBQ.
Zavtra my dogovoriis' nas povezut n Gvatemalu, posmotret' na gorod Tikal - tozhe Mayan staryy gorod.Peredavay privet roditeljam, potseluj Evelinku.
Iz Beliza s Ljubov'ju,Olja

03/23/09
Privet Annushka,
spasibo za to, chto prochitala moy email mame.
My segodnja ezdili v Gvatemalu, posetili drevniy gorod Maya - Tikal, ochen' bol'shoy gorod, mnogo krasivyx xramov, piramid. Ja sdelala kuchu fotok i zasnjala nemnogo na video - tak chto sami smozhete uvidet' eti krasoty. Uexali iz gostinnitsy v 7:45 utra, i vot tol'ko vernulis' v 5:45 vechera. Nam postavili pechati v pasportax!!! Gvatemala ochen' bednaja strana, dorogi xuzhe, chem v Belize. Nemnogo napominalo dorogi v Rossiyskoy glubinke. Tur byl interesnyy i poznavatel'nyy. Vot tut sidit Pasha i ispravljaet vse moi oshibki!!!Zavtra poedem v drugoy gorod Maya - Caracol, eto uzhe zdes' v Belize, nedaleko ot nas. Potom xotim poguljat' po Mountain Pine Ridge.Zdes' ochen' zdorovo!!! I v takoy klassnoy kompanii!!!Vsem privet!!!
Iz Beliza s Ljubov'ju,Olya.

03/24/09
Annushka,
Ya po vsem ochen' soskuchilas'. Ja ne brala s soboy shnur, chtoby vyslat' foto, tak chto vse budem pokazyvat' po vozvrascheniju.Segodnja vstali v 4:30 utra, a v 6 nas uzhe zabrali na ekskursiju. Vchera vecherom my zakazali tur v pescheru ATM (Achtun Tunich Mukhal). V nashey gruppe byli my s Pashey, gid i esche odin paren' (on kubinets, no zhivet v Miami).Pochti chas shli po dzhungljam, 3 raza perexodili reku. Zdorovo!!! A potom nam dali kaski i my poplyli v peschernuju reku, karabkalis' po kamnjam. Uvideli mnogo unikal'nyx mest. Mesta poklonenija drevnix Maya - ix utvar', i dazhe neskol'ko skeletov. Videli stalaktity, stalagmity, xrustal'nje steny - prosto nezabyvaemo. V peschere my byli vsego 3,5 chasa. Mne tol'ko v odnom meste bylo strashno, ja ne znala, kak spolzti s kamnja, chtoby ne svalit'sja. No gid postavil menja rjadom ra soboy i podskazyval, kaka stupat'. Potom - snova shli cherez dzhungli.Ochen' ustali. Domoy priexali v 3 chasa dnja i reshili otdyxat'.Zavtra xotim poexat' v Caracol - esche odini ruiny Maya, a potom - v gory i na vodopady, poplavaem v gornyx rekax.Peredavay vsem privet. Zhdu novostey ot vas.
Iz Beliza s Ljubov'ju,Olya.

03/25/09
Privet Annushka,
U nas vse v porjadke. Mne zdes' nravitsja, ljudi dobrye i ne navjazchivye, kak v Meksike. Da u nas tut mnogo ekstrima. Segodnja u nas bylo ocherednoe prikljuchenie - my ezdili v Caracol. Delo v tom, chto zdes' zaasfal'tirovany tol'ko osnovnye trassy, a v glubinke - rytviny i kaldobiny. My exali po ochen' slozhnoy doroge 2,5 chasa po goram. Potom priexali k voennoy baze, gde my za konvoem prosledovali do ruin. V tex mestax byli napadenija band s Gvatemaly (granitsa nedaleko) na turistov. No uzhe paru let zdes' spokoyno, no konvoy esche ezdit. My posmotreli odnu pescheru, no eto uzhe meloch' posle ATM.
A vozle Caracol my ponjali, chto u nas oblamals' odna podveska na pravom zadnem kolese. Po ruinam my guljali 2,5 chasa - krasiv - vzbiralis' na xram Caana - eto do six por schitaetsja samym vysokim zdaniem v Belize.Na obratnom puti u nas oblomalas' vtoraja podveska nad levym kolesom - i tak boltalo po storonam, odin raz my chut' ne svalilis' v kjuvet. Pasha exal ostorozhn - on molodets, xot' i perezhival, no dovez nas dvoix v tselosti i soxrannosti do gostinnitsy. A tam my pozvnli v rent agenstv, oni ne budut charzhit' nas za polomki - tak kak sami znajut o sostjanii svoix dorog i my zaranee preduprezhdai, chto sobiraemsja v Caracol. Vot tol'ko u nas ne poluchitsja poexat' v Altun Ha - esche odni ruiny na severe on Belize City.Utrom ja xochu pokuatsja v mestnoy reke, my vypishemsja iz Trek Stop i poedem v Belize City, sdadim mashinu, i na Water Taxi poedem na ostrov Caye Calker.Vot moi novosti. Begu na uzhin!!!
Vsem privet.
Iz Beliza s Ljubov'ju, Olya.

03/26/09
My segodnja pokidaem The Trek Stop. Ja uzhe spakovala svoi veschi. Xotim sxodit' v derevnju i kupit' suveiry na pamjat'. Ne perezhivaju ja ne trachu mnogo deneg na nix.Ja ne znaju budet li u menja besplatnyy Internet na ostrove, postarajus' nayti Internet kafe.Molites' za nas, chtoby my bez problem doexali na nashey mashine do Belize City - eto 2-2,5 chasa ezdy.Do svjazi.
Iz Beliza s Ljubov'ju, Olya.

Pics from Facebook

Belize It!!!

2009-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Big Plans:

1st day (03-21): 11:55pm- 5:57am Seattle-Houston (4h 2 min);
9:00am - 10:25am Houston-Belize City (2h 25min.)
rent car;
Belize Zoo: 8am-5pm, $8/adult;
The Trek Stop ($38/night)

2nd day (03-22): Xunantunich;
Day - ?? river-tubing??
we went to Belize Botanic Garden and San Ignacio

3rd day (03-23): Tikal, Gautemala

4th day (03-24): Caracol;
Hidden Valley Falls, Rio Frio Cave and Rio On Pools and/or Big Roc Falls in the Mountain Pine Ridge (we saw Rio Frio Cave and Caracol, then - we struggled with bad roads and broken car);

5th day (03-25): ATM / Cave-tubing, night jungle tour
Switched days 4 and 5!!!

6th day (03-26): leaving The Trek Stop;
Altun Xa (didn't because of broken car) ;
return car;
water-taxi to Caye Caulker;
Barefoot Beach Belize Resort ($79/night)

7th day (03-27): Relax!!!!

8th day (03-28): Snorkeling (Tsunami Adventure, 10:30am - 4:30 pm: Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark n Ray Alley, lunch in San Pedro, Coral Gardens - $45/person);

9th day (03-29): water taxi @ 7:30 am;
12:45pm - 4:22pm Belize City-Houston (2h 37min);
7:10pm - 9:57pm Houston-Seattle (4h 47min).

Last Seattle Garden Show (February 21, 2009)

2009-03-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Whistler, Canada: snow, stone and people

2009-01-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hawaian vacation!!!

2009-01-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Evelyna's First Christmas

2009-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad from Puerto Rico!!!

2008-12-20T06:20:00.001-08:00

Поаккуратнее с пожеланиями - мы вернулись в Сиэттл, а здесь - 6 градуса мороза и лежит СНЕГ.

Вот мы и вернулись из недельной поездки на тропический остров Пуэрто Рико.

Поездили по острову, посетили несколько достопримечательностей:

Arecibo Observatory;

Río Camuy Cave Park;

Ponce beach park - Carrebbian sea;

Old San Juan;

Bacardi Rum Factory.

Pics from Facebook.

Christmas Lights, Leavenworth, WA

2008-12-09T14:03:00.001-08:00

First picture together!!!

The story of Leavenworth is a testament to the determination of the human spirit. The odds of a dying timber and rail town successfully converting itself into an alpine Bavarian village are pretty slim. Nonetheless, the townspeople of Leavenworth found a way to do it. This is their story...
The History of Leavenworth
Leavenworth’s history does not begin with the alpine tradition it knows today, but with the proud heritage of the Yakima, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes. The Native American tribes lived by hunting the land for deer and elk, as well as fishing Icicle Creek for salmon. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful and bountiful lands in North America, the three tribes co-existed from Lake Wenatchee to the Icicle and beyond.
The area was eventually settled by pioneers in search of gold, furs and fertile farmland. Stakes were claimed, land was tracked, and the Leavenworth area was soon bustling with settlers. By 1890, the original town was built on the Icicle Flats.
But it wasn’t until the end of the century when the town began to blossom with the arrival of the rail line. The Great Northern Railway Company’s tracks through Leavenworth brought with them opportunities for work, commerce and a new economy.
A sawmill and a healthy logging industry eventually fell apart, however, when the Great Northern Railway Company pulled out of Leavenworth. The re-routing of the railroad and the subsequent closure of the sawmill sadly converted the town from a bustling, thriving hub of commerce into a hollow, empty community. For more than thirty years, Leavenworth lived on the brink of extinction.
But in the early 1960’s, everything changed. In a last-chance effort to turn their precarious situation around, the leaders of the community decided to change Leavenworth’s appearance, hoping to bring tourism into the area. Using the beautiful backdrop of the surrounding Alpine hills to their advantage, the town agreed to remodel their hamlet in the form of a Bavarian village.
Hoping to create more than a mere facelift, the entire community rallied to create the illusion of Bavaria in the middle of Washington state. Besides the complete renovation of the downtown area, community members worked to begin a series of festivals. The Autumn Leaf Festival, Maifest and the extremely popular Christmas Lighting Ceremony were the first of many attractions Leavenworth offered to passers-by.
And it worked!! Since the change to a Bavarian motif, Leavenworth has become a pillar of the tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Today, more than a million tourists come to Leavenworth each year, each visitor finding their own individual love affair with the community. The story is a landmark case of the human spirit: Not only did the people of Leavenworth survive their most critical hour, but they endured.

Leavenworh

Poulsbo, WA - Norwegian village

2008-09-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

Poulsbo's strong Norwegian heritage began over 100 years ago in the late 1880's. Jorgen Eliason is credited with founding Poulsbo. Jorgen, his sister Rakel and his 6 year old son E.J. came to Poulsbo from Fordefjord, Norway, by way of Michigan in 1883. A month after Jorgen's arrival, Ivar B. Moe with his wife and three sons arrived from Paulsbo, Norway, via Minnesota. They settled at the head of the bay to develop a farm on land that has since become Poulsbo Village Shopping Center. Because of it's majestic snow-peaked mountains and fjords, Poulsbo was soon settled by many more Norwegian and Scandinavian immigrants who likened the landscape to their beautiful Norway.
For many years, Norwegian was the only language spoken by the citizens of Poulsbo. In 1886, Ivar B. Moe felt there was enough people on Dogfish Bay (later named Liberty Bay) to warrant a post office. He made an application and called the new town Paulsbo. The Postmaster General misread Moe's handwritting and listed the new post office as Poulsbo. Transportation in Poulsbo's early years was by boat, horseback and foot. Major buying and selling was via a boat trip to Seattle's Pike Place Market. Fisherman from the Bering Sea brought their catch of codfish here for salting and preserving----one of the largest codfish processing plants in the Northwest. It was also here that lutefisk was processed. Townspeople and visitors can still eat lutefisk at the First Lutheran Church's annual Lutefisk Dinner the third Saturday of each October. This church, founded by those early Norwegian settlers, sits on the bluff overlooking Poulsbo. Service is held in Norwegian each year during Viking Fest.
A "mosquito fleet" of steamers sailed from Seattle to Poulsbo for some 60 years, carrying passengers and freight. Poulsbo's strong ties to the water is still evident today, with the presence of three marinas on the shore of Liberty Bay..
The downtown waterfront area was at one time part of Liberty Bay. In the 1950's the community worked together to fill part of the bay to form Liberty Bay Waterfront Park and Anderson Parkway. Some of the buildings you see today were once on pilings. The Kvelstad Pavilion, a popular spot for summer weddings and family gatherings, was added to the waterfront park later. Within a span of five generations, Poulsbo has changed from a rowboat on an untouched shore to a thriving community with "small town" charm.

Yucatan Peninsula + Caribbean Sea = Cancun

2008-09-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Вчера вернулись из 9ти дневной поездки в Канкун, Мексика. Проехали по 2м мексикамским штатам - Куанта Ру и Юкатан. Всего 1218 км.Посетили эко-парк Хкарет, 2 археологических парка Тулум и Чичен Итза - прикоснулись к культуре Мая.

Pictures from Facebook.