Iceland is a nature lover’s paradise with majestic beauty everywhere. Reykjavik is charming with a very warm and inviting hospitality. However, the real magic of this country lies outside the city among the black sand beaches, volcanic landscape, lush greenery and thundering waterfalls.

We hung with Puffins and saw lots of cows, horses and sheep roaming the countryside. We hiked waterfalls and glaciers, cruised around a glacier lagoon, descended into a volcano and soaked in the waters of the Blue Lagoon. The weather, however, can be a beast with pelting rain, gusty winds and a chill that gets in your bones, but it didn’t deter us from braving the elements and experiencing all that Iceland has to offer.

When the sun did come out, it highlighted the many vivid colors of greenery from the moss-covered lava to the volcanic hillsides. It was all incredibly stunning!

Having traveled much of Europe, I was excited when my friend, who is from Bangkok, invited me to join her on her annual trip to Thailand. Being my first visit to Asia, she prepared me for the unrelenting heat, torrential rains and the insane traffic. But what is lasting is my experience with the richness of the culture, history and traditions of the country with its unique sights, sounds and tastes.

The city of Bangkok held many delights from the popular and historic landmarks to receiving massages and eating incredibly flavorful food. Our days also were enriched with countless ice tea’s because not only did they help cool us off, but they were just sooo good! We traveled by train, taxi, tuk tuk, and boat navigating the city sights, along with walking miles upon miles.

To get another view of Thailand we visited the northern part of the country in Kanchanaburi and hiked the amazing 7-tiered waterfalls at Erawan National Park and explored Phratat Cave with all of its stunning formations, slithering snakes and unusual oversized bugs! We had our first experience staying at a floating resort where the highlight of the evening was having dinner served on a floating raft while being pulled around the lake watching a spectacular sunset.

Then we headed south and visited the famous islands and beaches of southern Thailand. We went paddle boarding around the exquisite rock formations jutting out of the ocean, snorkeled along the Phi Phi Islands, and were entertained watching the mischievous monkeys stealing food out of the hotel rooms! We ended our stay with another wonderful Thai massage…ahhhh the life!