My traveling pal and I arrived at the lovely, seaside Hotel Gutkowski (an affordable recommendation from a friend) on a Sunday early afternoon, just moments after a welcome, much needed thunderstorm and downpour began to clear the air. The island of Sicily had been suffering from a drought and the air had been gray and […]
If it’s good enough in this century for Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney and Zendaya, (whom I just missed by a day) – and in the past century frequent visitor Winston Churchill, as well as U.S. Ambassadors Joe and Rose Kennedy, Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, W. B. Yeats, and other political and literary movers and […]
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My seatmate on Alaska Airlines from LAX to Puerto Vallarta was Jeremy, a South African who made his fortune developing software for Wall Street and had become a U.S. citizen. He was traveling with 16 of his best friends to celebrate his 60th birthday in Punta Mita, Mexico. I was heading for a special culinary […]
The lighthouse towered prominently atop a desolate, wave-battered, weather-beaten crag in a remote region of southern Namibia. Surrounded by whitecaps, it seemed like a great place to construct a lighthouse. But what doesn’t feel far-flung in this desert country of Southwest Africa? There’s just over two million people living in Namibia, making it the second […]
This art piece was inspired by my trip with Dunn School’s winter term program to Sri Lanka. I experienced so many colorful sights, flavorful foods, and intoxicating smells on my two-week-long adventure overseas. I went sightseeing and on shopping trips; walked the steps of the oldest Dutch fort in Asia; saw fin whales on a […]
With my Mazatlán tour underway, here are some of the highlights and special spots found along the way… 1. Observatorio Mazatlán 1873 – Set high atop a hill and accessed by a steep climb up the 260-foot slope or a ride on the 45-degree funicular, discover the extremely photogenic, historic observatorio. While the building shows […]
As I reflect on my recent journey through the captivating landscapes of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, a vibrant tapestry of wine, food, and travel experiences weaves itself through my memories. This region, rich in natural beauty, unfolds a compelling invitation to explore at every juncture. Its picturesque beaches tell stories of tranquility and wonder, providing serene […]
A mob of meerkats was on my Southern African menu. Deep in the Kalahari Desert, I scanned that brilliant red earth with my binoculars from dawn until dusk. Finally, on the morning of our third day in Namibia, it was meerkat mania as 20 of them arrived just after breakfast. This was my 16th trip […]
Merlie and I travelled for most of July in Iceland and Greenland with Overseas Adventure Travel. Upon arrival, the Litli-Hrutur volcano erupted near the airport. I thought we might be stranded. Instead, it was an opportunity of a lifetime: We got to fly over it in a small plane! Along the way we also saw […]
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The spotted hyenas soaked themselves in one of the many waterholes surrounding the vast, searing white pan of Etosha National Park in northern Namibia of southwestern Africa. The two scavengers were multitasking. While cooling off in the shallow pool of water, they were also strategizing on how to drive off a healthy-looking lioness and her […]
The 500-pound male mountain gorilla (also known as a silverback) was hungry, not hangry, just hungry in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda in Central Africa. As shafts of morning light penetrated the rainforest, he casually lumbered over to a dense stock of bamboo, the biggest shafts as round as a baseball bat. He looked upward […]
Just before COVID, the British journal New Scientist offered a tour to Madagascar, and I immediately placed a deposit. More than 20 years ago, I had attended a talk on Madagascar, which piqued my interest but also only offered a bleak interpretation of its conservation. (For a fuller discussion, see my article titled, “A Lesson […]
Think globally, act locally. It is a phrase often used in regard to the environment, especially on Earth Day. But sometimes, to really know how to think globally, it helps to get out into the globe. Traveling to other parts of the world helps us understand the interconnectivity of our world communities and the impact […]
La Paz, Baja California Sur, México. Sometimes, just getting to your travel destination and safely back home is good enough. But when you return and can brag about snorkeling with the biggest fish in the world, which have 300 rows of teeth and don’t eat humans, that’s something. Whale sharks (which are neither whales nor […]
