2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:blog.washingtonpost.com,2007:/vagablog/33 Copyright (c) 2006, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-17:/vagablog2006/05/top_five_dubai.html

A short list of Dubai offerings:...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-07:/vagablog2006/05/taxi_cab_confessions.html

Cabbie: Where are you from? Us: Washington, D.C. in the United States. C: You know George Bush? U: (polite laughter) No, we've never met him. C: You know Osama Bin Laden? U: (slight discomfort) No.... We've never met him either. C: Do you want to meet him? U: (wondering where he's going with this) Um... no. (sincerely hoping that we're not on our way to see him right now) C: I want to meet him...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-02:/vagablog2006/05/top_10_things_we_forgot_to_men.html

Before we leave Aotearoa, there are a few things we feel we should discuss....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-04-20:/vagablog2006/04/three_dozen_tours.html

Even with the elvish ears on and the bow in my hand I wasn't feeling it. New Zealand is a beautiful country, but it isn't Middle-earth, despite the assertion of signs at Wellington airport welcoming travelers. (This fantastically ginormous one was sadly taken down before our arrival.) I was the only person on the tour that day brave -- or shameless -- enough to take the guide up on his dare to pose like Orlando...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-04-12:/vagablog2006/04/oamaru_outing.html

Napier, a city situated close to the wine-making region of Hawkes Bay on New Zealand's North Island, is well known as the "Art Deco City." Due to a devastating earthquake in 1931, a good portion of the downtown area was rebuilt in the fashion of the day, giving the city an architecturally harmonious look. Refurbished buildings, Art Deco walks and even citywide celebrations that fill the streets (and hotel rooms) with flappers and classic cars...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-04-10:/vagablog2006/04/camper_van_life.html

Campervans appear to be the preferred method of tourist travel in New Zealand. Sometimes it seems like there are more RVs on the road than regular cars. As a backpacker, I find them completely irresistible. The prospect of removing that heavy load from my weary shoulders and throwing all our accumulated mementos and dirty laundry in a heap at the back of a van, without the need to repack for three weeks, sounded heavenly and...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-04-05:/vagablog2006/04/ice_bound_1.html

In downtown Christchurch stands a striking statue of Robert Falcon Scott, the famed British explorer who died returning from the South Pole in 1912. While the site of the towering figure seemed somewhat out of place next too the lush manicured riverbank, one trip to the town's highly recommended International Antarctic Centre explained the importance of the southernmost continent to New Zealand's history....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-04-01:/vagablog2006/04/welcome_to_new_zealand.html

From the time we landed in Auckland, we were told to hurry up and leave the North Island. The guy at passport control -- a proud Aucklander -- started the trend. Though he clearly loved New Zealand's most populated city and seemed to delight in the disdain that the rest of the country has for his home town. (Giggling, he shared with us some of the less flattering names created to describe Auckland residents.) Even...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-25:/vagablog2006/03/what_would_steve_irwin_do_1.html

In Melbourne we were told that kangaroos are the deer of Australia: drive a bit at dusk or dawn and you are bound to run into some. I mean see them, of course, but a collision is probably equally likely. There are yellow "caution kangaroo crossing" sings dotting the coastal road and still we heard countless stories of people wrecking perfectly good Holdens on the wildlife....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-23:/vagablog2006/03/frasier_island.html

One day is not long enough in Fraser Island. We knew this before we departed on on our pricey "exclusive" tour with the Fraser Island Company, but it couldn't be helped. We had whiled away a good chunk of our time in the "liveable city" of Melbourne -- in fact, we agreed so much with the epithet that we moved in, spending over a week there (of our paltry three total in Australia). With a...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-16:/vagablog2006/03/whitsunday_reading.html

As we've hopped from place to place over the past few months we've made a point to choose appropriate reading material for our surroundings. In South Africa we picked up a history of the Zulu War and a blushingly funny book on boarding school life called "Spud," which we can happily recommend. As soon as we landed Australia we picked up a few books, but I had finished two and given up on one by...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-13:/vagablog2006/03/underwater_sounds.html

Because we're not certified divers, we didn't get to go on a night dive and that is our only regret. We didn't mind the looks of pity that unknowingly materialized on the faces of our fellow passengers as soon as we explained that we had joined the tour as snorkelers. Nor the hasty attempts to make us feel better about our sorry lot: "Oh, that's okay. You probably see a lot up there. Most of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-08:/vagablog2006/03/sydney_savers.html

If you know Lonely Planet guidebooks, you're probably familiar with the "Splurge!" asides that tempt the reader to embark upon temporary detours from her miserly daily allowance. These recommend food and accommodation of a caliber normally beyond the average backpacker's reach. After all, the pain of parting with very large sums from your very small bank account is occasionally justified if the purchased experience is awesome enough. The key is to select your indulgences wisely...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-03-03:/vagablog2006/03/trains_shrines_and_wineries.html

We've already mentioned Melbourne's fantastic parks. Unless we were late or it was raining (in which case we hopped on one of the city's convenient and often quaint trams), we would walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Fitzroy Gardens or the Queen Victoria Gardens on our way to and from the Central Business District and our accommodations in a converted Richmond warehouse. During one of these meandering trips through the greener parts of Melbourne,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-02-23:/vagablog2006/02/post.html

We arrived in Melbourne around 3 a.m., so it wasn't until the next morning that we had a chance to see the city. Walking from Richmond to the heart of the Central Business District, we felt immensely relaxed and not just because our trajectory took us through several of the many lush gardens sprinkled liberally throughout the city. Coming from South Africa, where razor wire, 10-foot high walls and Uzi-wielding bank guards are regrettably commonplace,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Meredith Bragg