If you have ever wanted to go back to the 1950’s, you can easily do it in Havana, or anywhere in Cuba (with the exception of the tourist resorts). It’s fun to actually feel the Cuba time warp. For us, it was like going back to our childhoods…. Continue reading
Well, I have done some crazy things in the past, but this one about tops them all. On a pitch-black night, in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, in Ecuador, we canoed on a swamp searching for crocodiles by flashlight, with a 12-year-old native Quechua Indian navigating. We… Continue reading
Some people find history fascinating; others find it completely boring. I used to be the latter, finding all those dates absolutely meaningless (stop scowling). Random dates and events seemed like completely useless knowledge. I wanted to know what was happening today! Not 500 years ago. In high… Continue reading
Gigantic Butterfly Relaxing on the deck before our Borneo River Safari, something moved beside my chair. I looked, and made a small gasp. There was a huge creature fluttering on our patio window a foot away from me! I stood up, stepped back… and took a closer look…. Continue reading
Recently, someone said to us, “I wish you would write about….”, and it occurred to us that we have never actually asked our loyal readers exactly what travel information they wish we would write about! So this is your opportunity to say what you are thinking. Don’t… Continue reading
Aix is an elegant city with extremely well-dressed people, cobblestone streets, book stores, parks, gardens, and it has the beautiful Fountain la Rotunde at the end of the Cours Mirabeau, often compared to the Champs-Elysees street in Paris. There is a cultural air in Aix, and a hint of snobbishness. … Continue reading
Belize is a tiny Central American country on the Caribbean side, so that usually means amazing turquoise waters, white sand beaches, and Spanish-speaking people. Because I have wanted to go to Belize for about 10 years, I could hardly wait, but to be honest, it was a tremendous disappointment. … Continue reading
The day after we arrived at Isla Mujeres (Island of Women), a tiny island off the coast of Mexico near Cancun, we were all set to enjoy a lovely afternoon at the gorgeous North Beach, when the rain started. A downpour filled the streets to overflowing within a short time,… Continue reading
The trip from Venice to Trieste by train follows the curved coast of Italy and has some spectacular views of the towns dotting the hilly green coast and the Adriatic Sea. We met the sweetest couple on the train. A Chinese couple that helped us with our luggage,… Continue reading
Our helpful Panamanian friends in Tonosi had recommended that the best way to get to the paradise San Blas Islands of Bocas Del Toro on the Caribbean side of Panama, was to take the new highway across the mountains of the Palo Seco Reserve. Lucky To Be Alive … Continue reading
The first thing you need to know if you’re driving around Ireland is that there are no traffic lights. That’s right, no traffic lights. Instead, there are 50 million roundabouts. On arrival the ten or more roundabouts just to get out of Shannon airport caused us great anxiety…. Continue reading
Ever since taking an anthropology class at university, and reading about the Kingdom of Tonga, I had longed to go there. Kingdom of Tonga Anthropology of the Kingdom of Tonga Reading that the bigger you are in Tonga, the more prestige you have, shocked me. There was… Continue reading
TRAVEL PILLOW – Total Travel Pillow Gone are the days of flying when you could expect to find a pillow and blanket on your seat. Now it’s more of a DIY experience. Functioning as a travel pillow and blanket in one, the Total Travel Pillow claims to keep you warm and reduce… Continue reading
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
“Now why in God’s creation would you take yourself ever go to Ireland if yer didn’t havta? The weather is bloody miserable! For God’s sake, it rains all the frickin’ time. Are you daft man? And the wind’ll go right through ya… give yer head a wee shake.” T’s solidly Irish… Continue reading
Malaria As many of us have said before, “99% of what we worry about never happens, and the other 1% we can handle.” And so it was with our fears of Malaria, and fears of the side-effects of the drugs to prevent Malaria. It’s a well-known… Continue reading
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
You really cannot go wrong visiting The Azores. Aside from these top recommendations, the Azores is one of the most genial, pastoral, relaxing, beautiful countries we have ever visited. The closest to it might be New Zealand. Here are just a few tips for getting the most out of… Continue reading
From Carcassonne, we continued to drive to the coast of Southern France, stopping in Aigues-Mortes, which is another Bastille town with a large rampart around the old town. Park Camargue We drove on to Park Camargue, a half-hour south of Arles where semi-wild black bulls and white horses… Continue reading
We had rented a cabin and were about to spend a week on an uninhabited island, Uoleva Island, in the Haap’ai Group of Tonga. It was an island we would have all to ourselves with absolutely breathtaking white powder beaches and crystal clear turquoise water (perfect for skinny dipping). There were no roads, no… Continue reading
