2019 – The Chicken Scratches

Budapest (10-15 November 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeNovember 16, 2019October 8, 2022

Sunday, 10 November We arrived by train from Vienna. We left on the 10:42 AM train and arrived at the Budapest Keleti Station about 13:20. The journey was uneventful. From the station, we walked to our hotel, the Marmara Hotel Budapest, even though it was lightly raining. The route was about 2.4 miles and was through some neighborhoods that we would likely never see. The rain was not a problem, just a small irritation. The hotel is very nice, includes a free breakfast, and the location is convenient (especially, since it was only a few blocks from where our friends, …

Vienna (5-10 November 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeNovember 11, 2019September 10, 20221

Birthday trips are great! Pat asked what I wanted for my birthday and I immediately said I wanted to go to Budapest when our friends, the Hunters, would be there for Woody’s annual teaching duty at the Central European University (CEU). If you’re flying to Europe, it is better to be there 2 weeks than 1 week, so we decide to add Vienna to our itinerary. Our original plan was to visit Budapest for one week, then go to Vienna the second week. However, because of family birthdays, we switched so we would be in Vienna first, followed by Budapest. …

Nevada-Utah (July 2019)

by Ray WhydeJuly 24, 2019September 10, 2022

We got the call – I’ve got to go! It’s kind of what we do. Jenny had an extra ticket for the Penn & Teller show at the Rio in Las Vegas and didn’t want to waste it (Tom had to leave because of filming in Chicago). Lucky me! I immediately booked a flight to Las Vegas for the next day. The plan was to stay in Las Vegas for a few days, then drive to Utah, with a destination east of Park City. Saturday, July 13 I arrived at the Luxor Las Vegas Hotel. After checking in, I met …

Peru: Back in Cusco (21-22 June 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeJuly 1, 2019September 10, 2022

On the drive back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo, we had arranged for another tour in the immediate Cusco area. This tour was also provide by Inkayni Peru Tours. The arrangements were made by Amadeo, our guide for the trip to Machu Picchu. We all thought this would allow us to see a few more spots of interest closer to home. Friday, 21 June The tour started at Saqsaywaman. This “fortress” is just outside Cusco and is often used for ceremonies having to do with the Incan culture. The day we were there, bleachers were being set up for some activity. …

Peru: Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu (19-20 June 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeJune 30, 2019September 10, 2022

Our main goal in traveling to Peru was a visit to Machu Picchu. This post will describe our private 2-Day Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Tour, booked through Expedia. Our guide for the 2-days was Amadeo Valer from Inkayni Peru Tours. Amadeo is an archeologist with a side job as a tour guide – see his YouTube videos – so was able to give us many insights other guides would have skipped over. Wednesday, 19 June Our first stops were in Chinchero, where we were to visit the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Natividad. However, there was a wedding …

Peru: Cusco, Andahuaylillas, Pikillacta & Tipón (15-18 June 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeJune 28, 2019September 10, 2022

Saturday, 15 June Our flight from Lima arrived into Cusco about 2:30 PM and we took a cab to the hotel. The hotel, Hotel San Pedro Plaza, is new, opening about 3 months, and is located on the upper floors of a building with shops and restaurants on the lower floors. The sign announcing the hotel is very, very small and often overlooked by taxi drivers and tour operators and pretty much everyone else. Fortunately our driver was aware of it’s location. Our rooms were on the top floor and featured no windows, as it was built into the attic, …

Lima, Peru (11-15 June 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeJune 25, 2019September 10, 2022

We planned at trip to Peru with my son and grandson, specifically to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu. But first, Pat and I stopped in Lima. We arrived in Lima, Peru, late night on the June 11 – getting to our hotel (Hotel El Carmelo Miraflores) after midnight. We’re here for only 4 nights, before heading to Cusco for the second half of our trip. Wednesday, 12 June The good thing about our hotel was its location only a few minutes walk to the cliff overlooking the beaches and the Pacific Ocean. Lima has a park system running for …

Hypoluxo Scrub (May, 2019)

by Pat WhydeJune 1, 2019September 10, 2022

Not far from our apartment, here in Boynton Beach, is a Florida scrub (an area of bare, white sand and evergreens – often named for the dominant plant species found in them) called the Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area – a protected habitat. We have visited this area many time over the last 10+ years to enjoy the many plants and a few animals, including the gopher tortoise that digs underground burrows/tunnels. Photos from our latest visit – if we have misidentified anything, please let us know: What we love about visiting several of the scrub areas around Boynton Beach is …

Everglades National Park (23 March 2019)

by Pat & Ray WhydeMarch 23, 2019September 10, 2022

We now live in South Florida and the Everglades National Park is only a couple of hours away (map). Although we had been to parts of the park that is accessible off the Tamiami Trail (the southern-most portion of US Route 41), back when my parents lived in Naples, we had never actually been to the park headquarters, near Miami. When we got to the Visitor Center, the first thing I noticed was a sign listing events happening that day. The event that stood out was an open house at a Nike Missile Base within the park boundaries. After picking …