Tonga: The Sexiest Men In The World

Sexy smiling Tongan man at Kava Ceremony

  First of all, there is something I need to explain. What you are about to discover is that in this country…. … the bigger and the broader you are, the more prestige you have!   Quite a reversal from the cultural expectations in North America! Every time I tell someone… Continue reading

The Scene of the Crime: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Before we tell you about Victoria Falls, we have to share a scary little adventure we had as we left the Urban Rose Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Trapped We had a 6 am flight to Victoria Falls, via Johannesburg, South Africa. Half asleep, we got ready in the… Continue reading

Falling For A Stranger in Havana

  One day I was checking out all the shops around Parque Cristo in Havana Vieja, when I saw the Churros wagon in the park.   The Lure of Churros The delicious aroma of fried dough was wafting directly to me. Mmmm…  50 pesos (65 cents) for two freshly fried… Continue reading

Ghost Plants, Stink Bugs & A Magical Lake in the Borneo Rainforest

The Lake   It was the most mesmerizing lake we had ever seen. Set in the Borneo rain forest like a jewel of peace among wild thorns.  (Double-click on any photo to see it full size)   Reflections so perfect and so still, you’d swear there were two lakes.   … Continue reading

Mexico To Belize

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  As I was saying in the last post, Belize is located directly South of Mexico, below the Mayan Riviera on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was cheaper to fly into Cancun and then drive down the Mayan Riviera coast, scattered with luscious turquoise beaches, and then drive on into Belize.  … Continue reading

3 Great Cheap Restaurants in Old Havana

Cheap Food in Old Havana   Cuban food is good. No matter what you’ve heard, it is good basic food. The cheapest and best Cuban food is found in Paladares, the locally-owned and run restaurants, the smaller Mom and Pop Restaurants. Rice and beans are served with every meat or… Continue reading

Asia Caribe & Other Culinary Delights On Isla Mujeres

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  So you are in MEXICO, and there you are eating Asian and Caribbean and Italian and French food!!? Not Mexican food, but exotic foods from all over the world. What’s up with that? You’re in Mexico. Oh sure, there are traditional Mexican restaurants – good ones too, and we’re… Continue reading

Spread A Little Happiness

Spread A Little Happiness

Something Happens to People at Christmas It happens to people when they start thinking about the joy people will experience from the gifts they will give. They suddenly feel kinder, more generous, more caring. They want to spread a little happiness! It should happen all year round, but the thought that we should… Continue reading

How To Make Roti in Borneo

  One of our stops on our way to a new jungle resort in Borneo was for Indian food. What a treat it was to watch this guy making each individual fresh roti, and with a bright smile that showed how much he really seemed to enjoy doing it. To… Continue reading

The Azores Diet Plan

  The problem, you see, was that almost every restaurant we went to in the Azores served only fish dishes.  At first we thought we had accidentally chosen “fish-only” or “seafood-only” restaurants, but after the 4th or 5th restaurant, it finally dawned on us that perhaps, just perhaps, people in… Continue reading

Piranhaus, Pink Dolphins and Wild Parrots

  The Amazon Riverboat was a fantastic week, and it was definitely the highlight of our trip to Ecuador.      Piranhas We went on excursions in the long canoe every day, but we did not go swimming in the piranha lagoon! Everyone was invited to jump off the canoe and swim in… Continue reading

White Cinderella Castle On The Danube

  With the River Danube running through the centre of the city, Budapest is a spectacular city!   Did you know that there are two separate cities that make up Budapest? Buda is on the West side of the Danube and Pest (pronounced Pesht) is on the East side of… Continue reading

Stomping Your Feet Does Not Help

  It started with a comedy of errors. Freezing rain cancelled our flight out of Toronto to Nicaragua so there were 40-minute line-ups at the pay phones just to try to re-schedule. T was relatively new at “travel glitches” and was wringing his hands in anxiety. After many years of travel… Continue reading

Half-Asleep, Half-Awake

Half-asleep, half-awake, over-stimulated in airports, under-stimulated on long flights, out-of-sorts, out-of-routine, off-keel, and off-base, much like when you wake up after surgery with the effects of heavy-duty drugs. In short,  jet lag.   And in this condition, you are expected to navigate new airports…   And take off your jacket, sweater,… Continue reading

Chocolate Withdrawal & Turtle For Supper

For such a tiny island, we had some amazing varieties of food on Little Corn Island. There was mostly Nica (Nicaraguan) food, but our favourite restaurant was the Cuban Café, which served delicious Coconut Lobster.    Dinners at Lobster Inn   The dinners at our hotel, the Lobster Inn, were… Continue reading

Argentina: How To Kayak Without Getting Wet

  Had we gone canoeing here on our own, we would surely have been lost for days.   The Parana Delta in Argentina is a maze of tiny waterways through a wetlands jungle forest. It is one of the largest deltas in the world covering over 8000 square feet. The… Continue reading

The Cure For Boredom Is Curiosity

  We’re off another adventure! I’m a little nervous though and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s just excitement, or the stress of wondering if I have covered all the bases. Staying in another country for four months is not quite the same as a one week or one… Continue reading

Borneo: Stripped Naked By An Orangutan

  Sepilok Orangutan Nursery   We were still giddy from seeing the wild Orangutans that morning.  After returning to the gorgeous Sepilok Nature Resort, we had lunch and a short break before we headed to the Sepilok Orangutan Nursery and Rehabilitation Centre.   The Orangutan Nursery and Rehabilitation Centre houses… Continue reading

Penang, Malaysia: What Is A Chew Jetty?

  [spacer height=”20px”] Walking toward the Chew Jetty, we were excited. We had heard it was a fantastic sight, the highlight of Penang.     First of All, What is a Jetty?   It’s an odd name, but not odd for the Chinese in Malaysia. Jetty is the name of… Continue reading

Come Rain Or Snow…

 [spacer height=”20px”] Happily touring around Ireland enjoying the lush richness of every shade of green imaginable, from lime green to kelly green to deep sage green, we could hardly believe how beautiful it was.    [spacer height=”20px”]  [spacer height=”20px”] Our B&B was lovely, but with icy cold bedrooms, as most… Continue reading