A Step Back in Time at Zealandia
I have always wanted to explore New Zealand the same way Captain Cook did all those years ago. In a land that was completely and utterly green, surrounded by dense bush that is alive with the many...
View ArticleCantarranas Honduras, City of Murals
On a drive from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, through the damp, misty rainforest of La Tigra, I found my way to the outskirts of the small colonial city of Cantarranas. Driving up and down...
View ArticleLand of Black Mountain: Hidden Gems in Montenegro
It’s September 2021, and people are finally able to travel freely again. Since Covid-19 and the several lockdowns started, everyone was looking forward to freedom again. To me, the ultimate freedom is...
View ArticleA Little Treasure in New York City: Nicholas Roerich Museum and the...
As a longtime resident of the pulsating New York City, I am always on the lookout for spots that are rarely on the radar of tourists. And as one can easily guess there is no dearth of such places which...
View ArticleHow I Spent Six Hours in Versailles
Versailles – there really aren’t words to describe it. Amazing, magnificent, dazzling, over-the-top, breathtaking just don’t do it. I had to see it for myself. And it is everything I ever imagined. I...
View ArticleTartu, Estonia, and Christmas
Christmas in Estonia Tartu, Estonia, is the First Country to Use a Christmas Tree Snow falling, children singing, and lights shimmering. This is the scene of a Christmas tradition set in the beautiful...
View ArticleBreaking the Con
Each year, one event commands the attendance of the world’s greatest superheroes and villains – San Diego Comic-Con. Since 1970, like-minded mighty humans, inhumans and other-worldly good guys and bad...
View ArticleBishkek, Kyrgyzstan
, and I was pleasantly surprised to be met by an immediate and fascinating mix of religions, languages and cultures. I had lived in Russia for several years, have family from Asia, and was working in a...
View ArticleWaterfall Wonderland: The Columbia River Gorge
It is only 80 miles long but contains over 100 waterfalls. Eleven of these are over 100 feet high with the 620-foot drop of Multnomah Falls as the most famous and accessible. The vertical basalt walls...
View ArticleMrauk U: Lost Time and Forgotten Treasures
The medieval ruins are so remote that time nearly left them behind. Mystical fortresses crafted with jaw-dropping architectural panache, towering over rice paddies and rural villages as the petrified...
View ArticleA Tasty Journey Thru Johannesburg
“Have you ever tried sweet paan?” My tour guide asked me this question as we walked along one of many busy Johannesburg streets, in search of local treats. We had parked in Fordsburg, the Indian...
View ArticleThe Heart of Erbil: Ancient Citadel, Grand Bazaar and Animal Market
A few weeks after moving into my new home of Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, I discovered that it was designed in concentric circles, focused around a central point which happens to be an ancient...
View ArticleSan Miguel at Night (photos)
A Night View of San Miguel de Allende 12 Days and 11 Nights in San Miguel After spending 12 days of exploring San Miguel de Allende in the center of Mexico, I never grew tired of this fantastic city’s...
View ArticleStreet Animals of the Caucasus
Why are They So Friendly in the Caucasus? Expat life, in many respects, is often a tale of two cities, so to speak – you learn to appreciate the (often nuanced) differences between different locales...
View ArticleCorpus Christi, City by the Sea
In the summer of 2020, my crew got a call late at night to pack our bags and head to Corpus Christi, Texas. Hurricane Hanna was headed for South Texas. As a traveling lineman for over ten years, I knew...
View ArticleKandy, Sri Lanka
Kandy, long considered the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, is a 3-hour train ride from the largest city, Colombo, and was my first destination after arriving from the airport. At the station, right...
View ArticleDriving the White Villages of Andalucia
Andalucia and its White Villages Driving the White Villages of Southern Spain Driving in a foreign country can intimidate the best of us. My first time driving in Southern Spain, I worried about...
View ArticleSparkling Caves and Baby Dragons in Slovenia
Postojna Caves and Baby Dragons in Slovenia My underground journey began with an open-air train ride. I felt like I was in an Indian Jones movie as I flew through narrow subterranean passages, and past...
View ArticleWalking Montepulciano
“Hear, all ye drinkers! Give ear, and give faith, to our edict divine – Montepulciano’s the King of all Wine!” – Francisco Redi, 1685 The Wine Vino di Nobile has been celebrated since Etruscan times,...
View ArticleAn Ode to Life Magazine and Gordon Parks
An Ode to Life Magazine and Gordon Parks As part of my trip to Brazil, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite photographers, Gordon Parks. In 1961, Parks released a photo series for Life...
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