From the deck of a motorboat scuttling along at 25 knots, I saw Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu, growing fainter every second until it finally blended in with the surrounding blue and green and patches of …
Beaches: Travel Reviews
Bocas del Toro, Panama
A chill ran down my spine as we passed a burnt-out fuselage that sat rusting in the front yard of a home near the exit gate of the Bocas del Toro airport (left). It made …
September 17, 2013
Small-town Italy: Civitanova Marche
If you’ve visited the major sites in Italy and yearn for something unique and different, consider Civitanova Marche, a pleasant seaside village with a distinctive local flavor. The little fishing town and seaside resort in …
July 26, 2013
Bohol, Philippines: hidden paradise
Looking for an off-the-beaten-path island adventure with pristine beaches, wildlife, historical sites and plenty of activities? Consider Bohol in the Philippines. This unassuming island is full of baroque colonial architecture in the form of its …
July 25, 2013
Olympos, Turkey
Getting to Olympos, Turkey, our final destination, was turning out to be a real doozy. This sleeping spread-eagle business on the cold green floor of the Kharkiv, Ukraine, airport, catching a 3 a.m. flight with …
June 14, 2013
Karnataka's untouched paradise
On the west coast of India, the state of Karnataka has a spectacular 300-kilometer-long rocky coastline dotted with pristine white sand beaches. The most popular are Murudeshwar, Kumta, Malpe, Gokarna and Maravanthe. Along Karnataka’s coast, …
May 30, 2013
Heal the Bay releases annual report on San Diego beaches
On Thursday, May 23, Heal the Bay representatives met at the mouth of the Tijuana River to announce their annual “beach report card.” While the organization gave the majority of San Diego County high grades …
May 25, 2013
Old-time California in Cambria
Unexpected. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think about my recent trip to Cambria, California. Cambria, located roughly a half hour north of San Louis Obispo, reminded me of the Midwest somehow. …
May 6, 2013
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres, once home to occasional pirates and Mexican fishing families, has become a popular off-the-beaten-path destination for tourists and divers as well as an expat art colony. Many tourists visit the island as a …
May 2, 2013
Chill out in Rarotonga
Sitting halfway between Tahiti and Fiji, the Cook Islands are yet to be discovered by most Americans. The vast majority of visitors who do come here are Australians and New Zealanders (for whom it’s a …
April 26, 2013