Essex Street in Salem: Discovering Witches and Mariners
Salem in Massachusetts, abounding in Puritan and American history is perhaps best known for the 1692 witch trials. My knowledge was restricted to magazines and websites which variously have described...
View ArticleKiribati: A Ring in the Pacific
“Tying up to a pier and disembarking through the passenger gangway isn’t an option,” our Captain said. Never did I imagine I would one day work onboard a cruise ship for almost seven months. Let alone...
View ArticleAntalya day trips – Duden Waterfalls and Phaselis
After many visits to Istanbul, I intentionally planned my next Turkey trip to a different region and I was recommended several times over the southwest coastline. Antalya was my first stop, and in the...
View ArticleTraversing Neverland: Ha Giang Loop
I've had an out-of-body experience or two in my life. At the very least, a brief spiritual awakening. My first was being front row to a Red Hot Chili Peppers show. A feat I accomplished by staying...
View ArticleImágenes de Merida (Mayan Capital)
Centuries-old conquistadores’ colonial architecture of Merida. Some kind of indigenous-inspired mural. Like the feral redheaded kid in Talladega Nights said of anarchy when he went buck-wild on the...
View ArticleThailand’s Koh Chang
Bang! Bang! Bang! After an interval of 5 seconds, I caught it again — the brief and strange metal banging noise that sounded like two pieces of sheet metal hitting each other. I could hear nothing else...
View ArticleFollowing the Beatles in India
Back in 1968, music sensation "The Beatles" visited an ashram in Rishikesh, India. During their time there, they wrote over 50 songs and brought Eastern influences to the mainstream like never before....
View ArticleFinding Warmth when Amalfi is Cold
My thick sweater and blue jeans reflected the London winter I left several hours before. Amalfi’s sun now broke through my warm clothes, bringing out a forgotten stickiness. After nearly twenty-seven...
View ArticleBucharest: What a difference a decade makes!
My first trip to Bucharest, twenty years after the end of Communism, and I'm among few tourists on streets that feel a tad threatening. Now, a decade later, I'm stunned to find Romania's capital as...
View ArticleItaly May Have Invented Pizza,but Di Fara Perfected It
New York is one of my favourite cities. I first visited the city four years ago, and it made a vivid and broad impression on me. I could not get enough of the towering skyscrapers, Times Square,...
View ArticleThe Fabled Island of La Digue
Gorgeous beaches and relaxing vibes are two things that an ideal Island holiday is comprised of. This is exactly what I anticipated before visiting the Indian Ocean gem, Seychelles, a couple of years...
View ArticleSierra Leone – A Diamond Road Trip
I don’t know what day it is anymore. Time is something marked as the sun passes through the sky and then it is night and the dogs start to bark, and then it is light again. My world is three colours,...
View ArticleFour Days in Asuncion, Paraguay
For everybody who is looking to explore exotic ruins, visit colonial towns and stunningly lush rain forests – Paraguay has it all. Paraguay is one of those places that is often overlooked by people...
View ArticleBorjomi vs. Atlanta: A Tale of Two Georgias
August 8, 2022: People ask me here sometimes, as they often do of foreigners everywhere, where I’m from. “America,” I reply. Then they ask about the state. They usually offer guesses like California or...
View ArticleExecutive Chef Rene Camelo to Spearhead Culinary Program at Grand Hotel...
Cancun, Mexico (November 17, 2022) – As Kempinski debuts its first Mexico property with the Grand Hotel Cancun managed by Kempinski, loyal guests of the property will be happy to find familiarity in...
View ArticleWith Thanks to Sachamama: My Family’s Trip to the Amazon
My eyes were bleary after the two-ish hour flight from Lima, but more so from the 3am alarm earlier in the day. I had just landed in Iquitos, Peru with my family – husband Tim, 11-year-old daughter...
View ArticleEnjoying in Emerald City: Enchanted by Seattle
The glass sculptures were astonishing. Just once in my life I had visited a glass blowers' studio, accompanying my daughter's school study trip. Yes, I had seen the demonstrations of the glass being...
View ArticleA Break from CoVid-19 in Finland
As the fireworks exploded over Kalajoki Finland, I reflected on the past two weeks of travel, how easy it had been, and how far away CoVid-19 had felt. The Finn’s don’t wear masks, they don’t queue...
View ArticleNgondo Festival in Cameroon
Imagine my surprise when I heard that one of the largest cultural events in Cameroon, my newest home, would take place just after I arrived, and in my city of Douala! The Ngondo water-centric festival...
View ArticleA White Christmas in North Korea
I had first visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in October 2016 as a day trip from Dandong in China. I've always liked to explore places where few others dare to go, so I...
View Article