Planet Janet Travels

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Planet Janet Travels

I’m a globe-trotting Baby Boomer – 75+ countries & 7 continents! Come join me! Check out my website & travel blogs to learn more.

I share stories, photos & travel tips from grand adventures to many of our planet's best destinations. As a Travel Blogger & Chief Travel Adventurer at Planet Janet Travels, I hope my stories, experiences and tips from my extensive international travels will help you travel the world more widely, confidently and joyfully! https://www.planetjanettravels.com/

09/07/2026

During our stay in the beautiful Monterey – Carmel Peninsula, of course, we had to do the famed 17 mile drive!

Here is one of its most iconic sights - The Lone Cypress! This solitary Monterey cypress is Pebble Beach’s most photographed resident. 😍😍

This cypress has been clinging to the rock for an estimated 250+ years! Apparently a cable was added decades ago to help anchor its roots after storm damage and to help it continue to weather the strong Pacific winds!

09/01/2026

The famed Kissing Rock formation in beautiful Pacific Grove near Monterey, California. Of course, Jack and I had to get a selfie mimicking the rocks. Do you approve?

08/26/2026

Here are photos from the Big Sur drive (from Cambria to Carmel) on my recent Central Coast California Road Trip. Jack & I were delighted Highway 1 thru Big Sur was open, having re-opened in January 2026, after a nearly 3-year closure caused by major landslides!

It turns out, just 8 days after we had driven the road, Hwy 1 in the Big Sur area once again closed due to the Timber Fire (started Aug. 8th). The highway has now fully reopened after a 12-day closure even as crews continue battling the sprawling fire in steep coastal terrain. We got lucky!

Photos include the famed Bixby Bridge and Sand Dollar Beach. Of course, we made a stop for lunch at lovely (and busy!) Nepenthe in Big Sur, which is perched on a cliff 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

08/18/2026

On my recent Southern California road trip, with Jack, I was excited to make a return visit to the magical Hearst Castle in San Simeon, just north of Cambria.

This huge, over-the-top hilltop estate was built by media mogul William Randolph Hearst between 1919 to 1947 - with Julia Morgan as his also-visionary architect.

The Gatsby-era estate boasts 165 rooms, beautiful indoor and outdoor swimming pools, imported European artwork & antiques, and gorgeous coastal views!

Hearst & his beloved partner, Hollywood actress Marion Davies, hosted Hollywood royalty back in the day. Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on the wall?

These days, Hearst Castle is a California State Park that you can tour. We enjoyed the Grand Rooms tour (about 1.5 hours).

It’s the perfect introductory tour - which includes the main spaces in the Casa Grande, the gardens and the outdoor Neptune pool and the indoor pool!

07/19/2026

One of Easter Island / Rapa Nui’s crown jewels is the site of Ahu Tongariki. Located on a beautiful & rugged shoreline, this ceremonial ahu platform features 15 large moai (carved monuments / statues).

These 15 stone giants (standing shoulder to shoulder) form a picturesque row on the central altar. Their backs are to the sea, with their faces meant to project their mana or spiritual protection to the ancient village that existed here.

Ahu Tongariki is the largest stone ceremonial platform in all of Polynesia. It measures approximately 200 meters (656 ft.) long. The largest moai here stands 9 meters (30 ft.) tall & weighs 86 tons!

The 15 moai were originally toppled in the 17th century during tribal war times. Disaster struck again in 1960 when a massive tsunami – caused by a huge earthquake in Chile (a 9.5!) – completely destroyed Tongariki.

The water came 100 meters onto land, dragging the platform blocks and the already-fallen statues with it. The site was restored in 1996, with the help of Japan.

Archaeologists believe all 15 moai once had cylindrical “pukao” topknots on their heads, representing a hairstyle worn by high-status Rapa Nui males. The pukao is made from scoria, a porous red volcanic rock. However, during restoration only one topknot could be placed back in position.

We enjoyed exploring Tongariki, as we made a full circle around the ahu & moai – viewing them from both the front and back.

Our guide Nico showed us the classic “optical illusion” photo tourists like to take. This involves standing off to the side of the 15 moai and ultimately looking like you’re standing in line with them as Moai #16. (see my attempt!).

07/14/2026

This is one of my favorite photos from Easter Island/Rapa Nui. It shows the dramatic rocky coastline setting of one of the island’s mysterious moai groups (monumental stone statues with haunting faces!).

This site is named Ahu Tongariki with its iconic 15 standing moai (seen in the background). In the foreground is a lone moai which the locals refer to as the “Traveling Moai”!

That’s because this moai was loaned to the Japanese government in 1982 to be shown in exhibitions around the country, as a thank you for their future support for the 4-year restoration project (which began in 1992).

07/10/2026

Today, I had the pleasure of touring the beautiful San Diego California Mormon Temple during its 3-week public open house – after an extensive 3-year remodel of the temple’s inside, outside and its gardens.

It was nostalgic for me - as I toured this Mormon Temple 33 years ago (in 1993) when it was first built and before it was consecrated & closed to only Mormon members in good standing.

This Temple remodel gave the San Diego community a wonderful opportunity to go back inside for another view before the public tours end on July 11th. The Temple will be re-dedicated on August 23rd.

The free guided tours have been very popular – with up to 17,000 visitors each day!

Of course, no photos were allowed inside so my pics are of the beautiful storybook bright white building with its tall spired towers and pretty gardens!

Not to mention the gold “Angel Moroni” statue atop the tallest spire! Plus, they had a helpful shoe cover station before we entered the temple manned by their youth!

06/30/2026

The island’s moai site – Ahu Akivi – was our introduction to Rapa Nui’s mysterious moai. Located in a quiet, grassy field, these 7 moai sit on a ceremonial platform (ahu).

Rapa Nui oral tradition holds that these figures represent the 7 scouts (“navigators”) sent by the legendary king Hotu Matu’a to explore the island before his people migrated there.

The moai face the ocean, watching for his arrival from their homeland known as Hiva (most likely the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia).

Unlike most moai groups, these seven statues are all nearly identical in style & height (at about 4–5 meters tall/13-16 ft.). As mentioned, they all face the sea, which is unusual as most moai face the community they protect.

06/24/2026

Starting a new series today on Easter Island – one of the planet’s most remote inhabited islands! Also known as Rapa Nui, this small volcanic island in the South Pacific Ocean is located 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile.

Rapa Nui is famed for its rugged beauty & many mysterious moai – huge stone statues carved by its early Polynesian inhabitants. I spent 3 wonderful days there in mid-February & it was a magical experience!

Rapa Nui has a population of less than 10,000 – and Hanga Roa is the island’s only town. The photo shows a majestic moai statue standing guard over Hanga Roa’s charming harbor area.

I’ve just written a blog post about my visit to Rapa Nui, so please check that out. Link in the profile.

05/31/2026

Jack & I recently spent 7 magical hours exploring the wonderful San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It felt like we had just taken a trip to Africa (but much more easily, with only a 35-minute drive from my San Diego home!)

The Safari Park is an expansive 1,800-acre wildlife preserve in Escondido, California, featuring over 3,000 animals across more than 300 species. The park (focused on wildlife conservation since 1972) offers highly immersive, open-space habitats where animals roam in large, mixed-species herds.

Park admission includes The Africa Tram (25 minutes) which takes you through sprawling, naturalistic savanna habitats where you can view rhinos, giraffes, and antelope up close. We also enjoyed a 90 minute “Deluxe Wildlife Safari” (an extra fee) in a smaller open air vehicle with an excellent guide venturing further afield into both African and Asian habitats.

Jack had his SLR camera and took some amazing photos (coming soon on IG - JackDaultonPhoto). I just snapped pics with my iPhone but the enclosed photos will give you a sense of some of the beautiful animals we saw. However, the first featured photo is Jack’s – it’s a proud Momma Cheetah with her four new 4-month old cubs (with 3 of them visible)

Then the other photos (all mine) in order – Tiger Trail entrance, Sumatran Tiger, Red River Hog, Western Gorilla, Southern White Rhino, Maasai Giraffe, and a Kangaroo. Plus a pic of our safari vehicle & guide Dani and a map of the Safari Park. I didn’t take any photos from the new cool Elephant Valley habitat which just opened in March.

In San Diego, we are truly blessed with the excellent San Diego Zoo and this Safari Park – dazzling locals and visitors for decades. Not to mention they’re doing amazing wildlife conservation work with partnerships around the world. Don’t miss the Zoo & Safari Park when visiting San Diego and Southern California!

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