Poky Little Wanderer

Slowly wandering my way everywhere

Tag: Architecture

Sunset over Phnom Penh during a sunset cruise on the Mekong river

15 Free Things to do Anywhere You Travel

Published March 24, 2023 / / 17 Comments

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Accurate or not, travel has a reputation for being expensive. Whether you’re splashing out on the trip of a lifetime or sticking to a shoestring budget, it can be nice to enjoy some free activities wherever you are. Many places can boast a list of unique things to do that are free of charge, but there are also many free things to do anywhere you travel.

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Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado

Visiting All 50 US State Capitols

Published August 31, 2020 / / 8 Comments

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I’ve recently (ok, just days before I wrote this) decided to make visiting all 50 state capitals and their respective state capitol buildings a bucket list goal of mine. It’s not too much of a stretch since I already want to visit all 50 states. Although perhaps it’s a little ambitious when you consider at the time of writing this I had already visited 30 of the states, but only one of the state capitol buildings… (I’m up to four now!)

The great thing about visiting the state capitols is that they not only have a lot information and exhibits about the state, but best of all they are often free to visit and many offer free guided tours!

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Semester at Sea: Delhi and the Taj Mahal in India (Part 1)

Published February 28, 2020 / / 2 Comments

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Cows block the roads sometimes in Agra, India
My favorite kind of traffic jam.

When the ship docked in Chennai, India (which is also known by the name Madras) I wasn’t sure what to expect from this huge and diverse country other than it’s where the Taj Mahal is located. I was beginning to get used to hot, tropical weather as I’d just visited Vietnam and Cambodia’s temples including Angkor Wat.

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Cambodia's temples

Semester at Sea: Cambodia’s Temples and Beyond

Published November 13, 2019 / / 0 Comments

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It was a tough choice to sacrifice some of the time the ship was docked in Vietnam to visit Cambodia’s temples, but the lure of Angkor Wat was too much to resist. Especially after visiting my first of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall while in China I was eager to see another iconic site.

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In Vietnam motorbikes dominate the roads

Semester at Sea: Visiting Vietnam

Published October 30, 2019 / / 7 Comments

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For the MV Explorer’s next port of call we were visiting Vietnam. The ship docked in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon without any customs delays. Unlike previous ports though, we were given landing cards that we were required to carry with us at all times in order to get through the security between the ship and the port. While the official name of the city is Ho Chi Minh on all official documentation, many of its citizens still use Saigon interchangeably.

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Kelly the Poky Little Wanderer in Hong Kong, China

Semester at Sea: Hong Kong (Part 3)

Published June 14, 2019 / / 2 Comments

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The second part of my China series left off with the end of my tour of Beijing and the Great Wall of China with The China Guide. You can also catch up on the first part when we arrived in the port of Shanghai too. I had an amazing time with the only downside being the heartbreaking loss of my camera. I was now off to Hong Kong to meet back up with the MV Explorer which had sailed on from Shanghai while I was in Beijing.

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Pantheon and Fontana del Pantheon in Rome at night

12 Photos to Inspire You to Explore Rome at Night

Published February 27, 2019 / / 58 Comments

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Rome is a beautiful city to visit at any time, be it high season in the summertime, the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, or even in low season winter. We visited Rome using Groupon Getaways which can be a great way to score deals on travel. No matter when you visit though, definitely take some time to explore the city after the sun goes down. Here are some of the beautiful sights you could be missing out on if you just spend your evening in your hotel.

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Peace Park

Semester at Sea: Japanese History in Hiroshima & Nara (Part 3)

Published January 30, 2019 / / 4 Comments

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Continuing on our journey west across Japan, our plan was to visit Hiroshima and Nara to learn more about ancient and modern Japanese history before heading back to meet the MV Explorer in Kobe. I began my trip through Japan in Yokohama and Tokyo (which you can read about in part 1 of my Japan posts) with stops in Hakone and briefly in Kyoto (which I wrote more about in part 2 of my Japan posts).

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Senso-ji or Asakusa Buddhist Temple in Tokyo, Japan

Semester at Sea: Exploring Japan (Part 1)

Published December 14, 2018 / / 2 Comments

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Yokohama skyline while Poky Little Wanderer was exploring Japan
Views of Yokohama, Japan from the ship

The second port on my Semester at Sea voyage was Japan, which was also the first international port. Having only traveled out of North America for my family’s trip to Ireland, I was both really excited and really nervous to land on the shores of a new country and continent. We had five days exploring Japan, an island nation and cultural titan. Since I wrote so much about this country, I’ve broken it up into a couple parts.

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