markandrupa.com

Welcome to our travel log.  We've spent much of the past two years traveling around the world, visiting dozens of countries and meeting thousands of wonderful people. We've also been keeping a journal and taking lots of photos, and we thought it might be fun to share: click on any of the trips below to read more about our adventures.

  1. new!Recent and upcoming trips added

Upcoming Trips

  1. Humpback Whales of the Silver Bank - march 2024

    Back for a second round with our favorite safari company, Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris. We'll spend a few days Scuba diving in Turks and Caicos before venturing south to the Dominican Republic for a week in Santo Domingo before joining the whale adventure!

  2. Austin, Texas - Solar Eclipse - april 2024

    Can't pass up another opportunity for a total eclipse. Renting a house with a bunch of college friends this time.

  3. France - Summer Olympics - july 2024

    We were supposed to be at the 2020 Olympics in Japan, but when Covid hit our reservations were moved to France 2024. C'est la vie.

  4. Ireland - august 2024

    After the Paris Olympics we're planning a trip around Ireland.

Previous Trips

  1. Indonesia, East Timor, & Australia - november 2023

    Our friends invited us on Windstar Cruise from Indonesia to Australia, so of course we said "yes". We also added on a couple weeks in Bali before the cruise and a couple weeks in Australia after the cruise.

  2. Southern Hospitality - october 2023

    Mark and his parents on a road trip from Ohio, through Kentucky, the Carolinas and down to Georgia before returning home by way of Biltmore and the Great Smoky Mountains. Rupa joined us for the Outer Banks segment.

  3. Iceland & Greenland - may/june 2023

    We've never been, and our friend Heather and her Mother-in-Law asked if we'd like to join them, so we planned a 17-day circuit of Iceland followed by 10 days in Greenland.

  4. Caribbean, Florida, and the Southeast - april/may 2023

    Three family trips in the span of five weeks led us to Florida's Panama City Beach for an 80th birthday, the Caribbean for a Disney Cruise (US Virgin Islands & British Virgin Islands), a World Gymnastics competition in Orlando, and a few days each in Savannah, Charleston, Miami and Siesta Key.

  5. Belize Diving - march 2023

    Mark joins his friend Mark for a one week scuba diving trip to a small island off the coast of Placencia, Belize.

  6. Antarctica & Buenos Aires - february 2023

    Our friends invited us to join them on a cruise to Antarctica and we jumped at the chance. We spent the week before hanging out in Buenos Aires.

  7. India, Singapore & Dubai- december 2022

    Another wedding took us India, where we also spent a few weeks driving around Southern India. On our way we stopped in Singapore, and on the way home in Dubai.

  8. Guatemala, Honduras & Belize - october 2022

    A family wedding brought us to Guatemala, and we continued from there to Honduras (Copán) and Belize.

  9. Las Vegas - august 2022

    Helped a friend celebrate his 40th with a romp in Vegas.

  10. Big Island, Hawaii - july 2022

    Helped our friend celebrate her 50th trip around the sun with a relaxing stay at the Fairmont Orchid.

  11. Alaskan Cruise - july 2022

    Joined our friends for an inside passage Alaskan Cruise with Disney.

  12. Boston - may 2022

    Class reunion fun.

  13. Chicago - may 2022

    We were already in town for a wedding, so we extended our stay a few days and explored some Frank Lloyd Wright sights around town.

  14. New England fall colors - october 2021

    Mark spent a month chasing fall colors throughout New England with his parents.

  15. Hawaii - july 2021

    Two weeks in Hawaii with friends, split between Aulani, Oahu and Hilo, Big Island.

  16. France - Women's World Cup - july 2019

    We spent a couple weeks in France with our friends Mike and Heather, drinking lots of Champagne while chasing Women's World Cup matches and the Tour de France. We also spent a few days exploring Bruges.

  17. England concerts - december 2018

    Mark spent a week chasing concerts (The Human League, Paul McCartney, Def Leppard) around England with his college roommate.

  18. McMinnville, Oregon - september 2018

    Wine tasting and an up-close look at the Spruce Goose in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

  19. European River Cruise - june 2018

    Tauck river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest with Mark's parents. We spent a week before the cruise wine tasting in Germany's Mosel valley.

  20. Walla Walla, Washington - september 2017

    Got away from Seattle during the long Labor day weekend for some wine tasting and rodeo.

  21. Boise, Idaho - Solar Eclipse - august 2017

    The Great American Eclipse!

  22. Norway & Sweden - july 2017

    Great scenery and a 50th birthday party celebration in Gotland.

  23. England & Wales - april 2017

    Stonehenge, Tintern, the Cotswolds and London!

  24. Paris, France - may 2016

    You really can't get enough of Paris.

  25. Denver, Colorado - may 2016

    Catch up with friends, visit the Air Force Academy, and dine at Casa Bonita.

  26. Mt. Vernon, Washington - april 2016

    Spent a few days photographing the tulip fields.

  27. France and the Rhine River - december 2015

    I took a month off to travel with my parents to France, Germany, and Switzerland. We spent 10 days in Paris and Normandy, and then joined a Tauck River Cruise to visit a number of Christmas Markets along the Rhine River. Check out our itinerary.

  28. Myanmar - A Photographic Exploration - november 2015

    Our big adventure of the year was a fantastic 14-day photo expedition with Cheesemans' guide Scott Davis. View the itinerary.

  29. Mexico - The Yucatan - september 2015

    A good friend of ours was getting married at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, so we took advantage of the opportunity to visit some Mayan ruins and swim in couple cenotes.

  30. Minnesota State Fair - august 2015

    Mark took a day off work to hang out with his college room mate at the Minnesota State Fair and a Def Leppard concert.

  31. Crater Lake, Oregon - june 2015

    We've been in the Northwest for 17 years, and Crater Lake has always been on our list. We finally checked it off with a long weekend visit.

  32. Winnipeg - Women's World Cup - june 2015

    The Women's World Cup is one of my favorite sporting events, so my parents and I spent a week in Winnipeg so we could go to a couple team USA matches. We also ventured west one day across Manitoba in search of old grain silos and quaint village churches.

  33. Methow Valley, Washington - april 2015

    More Northwest exploration, this time to the lovely Methow Valley in north-central Washington. It was shoulder season, but a mild winter made for a pleasant visit.

  34. Las Vegas - march 2015

    A friend's wedding drew us back to Las Vegas, where we spent a fun weekend catching up with old college friends.

  35. Central Washington - august 2014

    Dave Mathews at The Gorge drew us out for a weekend in central Washington, where we explored Palouse Falls, Dry Falls, and the Grand Coulee Dam.

  36. Boston - july 2014

    We love Boston in the summer, and what better time to visit than the 4th of July!

  37. Whidbey Island, Washington - april 2014

    Quick birthday weekend trip to explore the island, get massages, and dine at the fabulous Inn at Langley.

  38. Hood Canal, Washington - february 2014

    A weekend getaway to celebrate Rupa's 40th birthday at Alderbrook Resort and Spa. It rained all weekend, so we took advantage and simply recharged - reading books, newspapers, catching up on small tasks and watching the Sochi Olympics. Great dinner at the resort on Friday night, massages and wine tasting on Saturday, and the steam room, hot tub, and a work-out on Sunday.

  39. Swimming with Sperm Whales, Dominica - february/march 2013

    Another Cheesemans' adventure, this time with our friends Mike and Heather. View our itinerary.

  40. Rangiroa and Bora Bora, French Polynesia - november 2012

    Celebrated our 10th anniversary. View our 13-night itinerary.

  41. Oregon Coast, Washington - september 2012

    Another long weekend getaway. Best massage I've ever had at Spa Manzanita (ask for Theron) and a wonderful meal at a brand new restaurant called Dinner at the Nehalem River Inn.

  42. Walla Walla, Washington - july 2012

    Got away from Seattle for a long five-day weekend over the 4th of July for some wine tasting and general relaxation.

  43. Subway Hike: Zion National Park - august 2011

    We are really excited to be joining our friend Vic as he leads a small group on the 9.5 mile day hike known as the Subway. Our friends Mike and Andrea will be hiking too, so it should be a wonderful opportunity to catch up while enjoying a day in the sun.

  44. Wind Star Cruise: Venice to Athens - july 2011

    About to set sail on a 10-day adventure with our good friends Mike and Heather. The Wind Star is a small 148-passenger cruise ship. After a night in Venice, we board the ship for the following seven nights. We make stops in Pula, Trogir, Dubrovnik, Pylos and Monemvasia before ariving in Athens. After two nights in Athens we return home.

  45. Yakima, Washington - june 2011

    Got away from Seattle for a short weekend to enjoy some warm weather and relax a bit.

  46. Humpback Whales of the Silver Bank - march 2011

    We once again traveled with our favorite safari company, Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, and this time met up with some friendly humpback whales in their calving grounds off the Dominican Republic and swim with them! It all worked out and was a truly unforgettable adventure. Check out the itinerary.

  47. Portland, Oregon - march 2010

    In preparation for running a half-marathon in May, I signed up for a five-mile race in Portland. Rupa and I made a weekend out of it, finally finding the time to explore a bit of our northwest-neighbor after more than ten years in Seattle. Check out our journal and photos.

  48. Vancouver - Winter Olympics - february 2010

    For the second time in eight years we gathered with friends and spent a week at the Winter Olympics.  Incredibly, we secured enough tickets through the convoluted sales process to attend nine different events.  As an added stroke of luck, the typically gloomy Pacific Northwest skies parted for the week and left us with gloriously warm and sunny conditions - perfect for spectating though it did wreak havoc at the snowboard venues.  Our journal and photos are now online.

  49. Maui, Hawaii - february 2010

    Rupa's parents used their free Hawaiian Airlines tickets to book a trip to Maui. Rupa and I decided to tag along, and we convinced Rupa's sister Nina to join us as well. It was a short one-week trip, but we enjoyed some fantastic whale-watching, snorkeled a colorful reef, wandered the island in an SUV and savored the perfect shave ice. Our itinerary is online.

  50. Antarctica - january 2010

    Rupa and I had a fantastic voyage to Antarctica with Cheesemans' in 2007, so when my dad retired in early 2009 I realized that I had the perfect excuse for another trip south.

  51. Spain & Portugal - september/october 2009

    Spain had been on our wish list for quite some time, so when Rupa found some nicely-priced tickets she scooped them up and put together a 30-day itinerary covering the Iberian Peninsula.

  52. California Coast - august 2009

    We finally got around to the central portion of the California coast, where we spent over a week visiting missions and other coastal attractions. Here is our itinerary.

  53. Western Parks - july/august 2009

    We wanted to drive the California coast but we somehow had to make it down to LA. That's how we ended up on a two-week trip through central California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. We spent most of our time in the National Parks, though we did manage to sneak in a blow-out dinner in Las Vegas and a couple of other treats.

  54. Glacier National Park - july 2009

    There are only 26 glaciers left in Glacier National Park. In 1850 there were 150. In 2030 there will be none. Some day our trip log will be updated with more details.

  55. Peru - june 2009

    Machu Picchu is one of my favorite places, and this year we made a return trip with our families. We were joined by my dad and brother as well as Rupa's mom, dad and sister. All told we made up nearly half of the small group tour that we booked through REI Adventures. For more details see our online journal.

  56. Victoria - may 2009

    Although not nearly the same scale as our other trips, this overnight stay in Victoria was nevertheless quite enjoyable and I took lots of photos, so if you are planning a trip to this iconic Canadian port check out our journal.

  57. Italy - april 2009

    Europe came calling again, this time in the form of a three-week last-minute whirlwind tour of Italy. After being dragged to Mexico Rupa felt the need to "get even", so she picked up the Rick Steve's guide book and before I knew it we were on a plane to Italy. Not that I'm complaining - Italy has long been on our todo list and Rupa even managed to throw in a day at Pompeii, one of my final must-see sites. Rupa's Italian adventure is now online.

  58. Mexico - march 2009

    After reading about extensive habitat destruction in the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries of central Mexico I decided it was time to visit this new addition to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The area's tourist infrastructure is minimal, but after much research and with the helping hand of local tour guide Luis Miguel I was able to put together a short but enjoyable ten-day visit.

  59. Churchill, Canada - november 2008

    We really wanted to see some polar bears this year, and lucky for us we were able to book a photographic expedition that allowed for on-the-ground up-close-and-personal views of the bears. We traveled with Wildlight Nature Photography and spent four nights at the Seal River Heritage Lodge outside Churchill. And, as an added bonus, my parents were able to join us on this unique adventure. You can now check out our journal and photos.

  60. Big Island, Hawaii - september 2008

    We had an $800 credit with Hawaiian Airlines that we had to use this year so we booked a two week trip to the Big Island and worked out the details later. We were also able to turn this into a family trip when Rupa's parents decided to join us. We all had a wonderful time and you can read about our trip here.

  61. Pacific Northwest, USA - august 2008

    We'd lived in the Pacific Northwest for ten years and still hadn't been to the Olympic Peninsula or the Oregon Coast. Rupa fixed this with a two week road trip down Highway 101 from Seattle all the way to the Sonoma Valley just north of San Francisco. You can read about our fun and relaxing trip here.

  62. Australia - march/april 2008

    This was the least planned of any trip this year, and we left with only a partial idea of where we wanted to spent our four weeks.  We finished the planning as we went, getting some of it done in New Zealand and the rest just days ahead of our travel.  Still, it ended up being a fantastic trip and we can't wait to go back and see more of the country.  I don't have very much posted yet, but you can view our itinerary.

  63. New Zealand - february/march 2008

    Rupa put together a fantastic five week trip that covered both the North and South Islands.  We opted to drive the entire journey and ended up putting over 3,000 miles on the rental car.  A brief summary of our trip has been posted here.

  64. India - december 2007/january 2008

    We spent a fabulous but tiring eight weeks driving around India.  Although we haven't had time to post a detailed log, you can still check out our itinerary as well as a flickr slideshow.

  65. Madagascar - october/november 2007

    We traveled to Madagascar mainly to see the lemers, but we were impressed by the birds, reptiles and people as well.  For such a poor country the people are amazingly friendly and love to pose for photographs.  Check out our trip log and photos.

  66. South Africa & Mozambique - october 2007

    We booked a couple weeks of South Africa Safari and some beach time in Mozambique prior to joining up with a guided tour of Madagascar. You can see our itinerary here.

  67. Czech Republic - june 2007

    Rupa planned this one on her own using Rick Steve's and the Lonely Planet.  We spent two weeks touring the country by auto - see our itinerary page for details.

  68. Turkey - may 2007

    Rupa booked us on a two week tour of Turkey, including a short Mediterranean Cruise.  Check out our itinerary.

  69. Pacific Islands: Guam, Palau, Yap & Oahu - march/april 2007

    Rather than fly straight home from SE Asia, Rupa and I decided to island hop our away across the Pacific.  See our itinerary page for details.

  70. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Hong Kong - february/march 2007

    We had such a fabulous time touring Thailand and China that we decided to head back to SE Asia and visit some of the the lesser developed countries.  You can find our trip log and photos here.

  71. Antarctica - january 2007

    The effects of Global Warming and our love of wildlife convinced us to visit Antarctica.  We booked late but were fortunate to find space with Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, which runs an extended 25 day chartered cruise covering the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica.  Visit our journal to browse our photos and trip log.

  72. Argentina & Chile - december 2006

    Rupa organized this trip herself (no tour group this time) and included stops in Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, the Atacama Desert, Easter Island and the Chilean Lakes District.  Our final stop was Ushuaia, where we boarded our Antarctic cruise ship.  You can browse our trip page for photos and the trip log.

  73. China - october/november 2006

    Why travel all the way to Asia to visit just one country?  With that thought in mind we booked our Thailand and China trips back-to-back and had a fantastic time.  Just as in Thailand we traveled with Travel Indochina - this time for thirty-one days in a small group of fifteen travelers and two guides.  Check out our trip page for photos and a trip log.

  74. Thailand - october 2006

    We departed on our first SE Asia trip one day after returning home from Ecuador.  We met up with our Travel Indochina tour group (eight travelers and two guides) in Bangkok and began sixteen lovely days in Thailand.  Check out our trip page for photos and a trip log.

  75. Galapagos & Ecuador - september 2006

    This was our third National Geographic trip with tour expert Kitty Coley.  In addition to a Galapagos cruise we spent time in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Napo Wildlife Center), bird watching in the Mindo and Tandayapa Valleys, and a visit to the Otavalo market.  Check out our trip page for photos and a trip log.

  76. Costa Rica - march/april 2006

    Our second National Geographic trip with tour expert Kitty Coley had us white-water rafting the Pacuare River, dipping into the Tabacon Hot Springs, zip-lining through the cloud forest, and snorkeling off the Pacific coast.  The highlight, though, was the colorful and unique wildlife, including birds, butterflies, monkeys and sloths.  View our pictures and trip itinerary.

  77. Jordan - november 2005

    Really an extension of our Egypt trip, our primary inspiration for visiting Jordan was to see the ancient rock-cut city of Petra (where "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was filmed).  The sheer scale of the city and the beauty of the sandstone carvings was absolutely breathtaking.  While in Jordan we also spent an evening in Wadi Rum and a few days floating on the Dead Sea. Check out our pictures and itinerary.

  78. Egypt - november 2005

    Another National Geographic trip led us to Cairo and a week cruising down the Nile.  We had a fabulous tour guide and learned all about hieroglyphs, temple carvings, and ancient Egyption culture.  Check out our pictures and the trip itinerary.

  79. African safari- october 2005

    The focus of this trip was safari in Namibia and Botswana (6 different camps), but we were also able to spend a few days in Cape Town, a few days at Victoria Falls (where we rafted the Zambezi), and some relaxation time in Zanzibar.  Check out our photos and itinerary on the trip page.

  80. Peru - april 2005

    Our first National Geographic trip with tour expert Kitty Coley, and what a faublous trip.  While we were very excited to visit Machu Picchu, the highlight of the trip ended up being the time we spent in the Amazon rain forest.  View our slideshow and our itinerary.

  81. France - april 2004

    A college friend of ours was getting married in France, so we took the opportunity to plan an extended vacation throughout France, including cooking school in Provence, a night in the medieval city of Carcassonne, a drive along the Normandy Coast, a few days in Paris and the wedding in the Loire Valley. View our complete itinerary.

  82. Maui, Hawaii - october 2002

    This was our honeymoon, sort of.  We spent most of the week long vacation earning our advanced suba diving certification before meeting up with Chris and Raka for a couple days of beachside relaxation.

  83. Salt Lake City - Winter Olympics - february 2002

    We rented a van and traveled east with Jean and Malinda to join up with ten of our college friends for the Salt Lake City Olympics. We all stayed in the same large house and enjoyed events like curling, hockey, short track speed skating, bobsleigh and more. You can see our itinerary here.