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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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, 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
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
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
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
[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
A Rare Experience We felt extremely privileged to see the Pygmy Elephants in Borneo. These Borneo Elephants are the cutest elephants you have ever seen! They look like they are straight out of a Disney movie. They have big baby-face heads, big floppy ears, chubby tummies, straight husks… Continue reading
“Want to go to Argentina?” I said to my friend D. “What? Argentina? Hmm… I don’t know… how long?” “Just a month. There is a great price out of LA.” “A month! I can’t get that much time off work.” “Are you sure? Have you asked?” “No. Ok, I’ll… Continue reading
Did you know that Sloppy Joe’s were invented in Havana? Yes, those good ol’ Sloppy Joe sandwiches were invented in Havana. Remember that ground beef/tomato sauce mixture you slopped on buns? Then you devoured it in minutes thinking it was the best thing you ever had? Sloppy… Continue reading
Internet Hut: After receiving 3 or 4 completely different directions for getting to the only Internet access on Little Corn Island, we traipsed through the jungle to the East side of the island and after ten minutes came to a tiny Gilligan Island style hut with two old computers. We… 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
Grottoes Loltún, Lol Tun Cave, Yucatan: An Underground Castle [spacer height=”20px”] Take a walk into Lol Tun (Grottoes Loltún) Cave, and it feels like you are walking into a grandiose cathedral or castle. It is a bit of a rough walk down and into the cave but it is… Continue reading
