New Zealand

New Zealand is one of my favorite places in the entire world … particularly the southern Island city of Queenstown.

This is the world’s adventure capital and I just love the place!

When I first traveled there in 1992, I visited AJ Hackett’s bridge, where bungee jumping started … but wasn’t brave enough to jump. I decided that IF I ever returned, I would jump. And on my 33rd birthday, I returned with my wife to Queenstown and fulfilled that promise. I hopped out of the bus, ran to the bridge and was first to jump … I did NOT want to watch others jump first.

Here I am before the jump:

During the jump!

Went skiing in the Remarkables and at Coronet Peak:

And then, went on a Shotover Jet ride (a really fast boat that drives perilously close to rocks in the canyon)!

There are so many fun things to do in New Zealand … can’t wait to go back!

Samoa

In tropical Samoa (known as Western Samoa until 1997), founded on New Year’s Day in 1962. About 191,000 people live here (2013), and the official languages are English and Samoan. Most Samoans are Christian, Catholic, or some other Christian denomination. Its main...

Colombia

The northern tip of South America, Colombia, a tropical and isothermal (relatively stable temperatures) country founded in 1810. The population is over 47.12 million (2013) and the capital is Bogotá, the center of South America’s largest network of bicycle routes at...

Ukraine

In the Ukraine in front of a Soviet ICBM, 2015 Many types of ICBMs in the Ukraine Country Information: There are roughly 45 million Ukrainians, and the official language is Ukrainian, but Russian is a regional language, meaning more than 10% of the population speaks...