When the first rays of sunrise strike the great mosque at Djenné, many believers fall to their knees from its beauty. Djenné, Mali, is a fly speck on a map. Overlooked by most travelers, it's …
April 7, 2015
Travel off the Beaten Path
Mud and infidels: Djenné, Mali
Ağva's "Club Bar"
My friend Saba and I decided to take a trip outside of Istanbul to Ağva, a vacation village in the mountains, by the Black Sea. Saba is a native Turk, but she majored in American …
March 31, 2015
Adventures in Tawi-Tawi
Editor's note: The author visited Tawi Tawi in 2007. There are a few more accommodations there now, it looks like. A few years ago, ignoring the advice of our horrified Filipino friends, my wife and …
March 26, 2015
Welcome to East Jesus, CA
Overlooking the Salton Sea in the shadow of mature Ironwood trees rests a man still much loved. The former “mayor” of East Jesus, a fenced community of free-roaming, ever-rotating artists, musicians, scientists and builders located …
Destination: Kinmen
In Kinmen you don’t have to worry about getting blown up anymore. I kept reminding myself of this as I wandered alone on a deserted beach. It was a sunny day with few clouds. Across …
March 5, 2015
Two roads diverged (in Bulgaria)
If you like your mayonnaise called aioli and your pastries gluten-free, then Bulgaria is probably not the place for you. If you prefer smoothly paved roads and lining up at world-famous museums, then Bulgaria is …
February 20, 2015
Down south in Estero La Bocana, Baja Sur
Dolphins play near the shore at sunrise, whiplashing their tails to form a sand circle to entrap their breakfast. The panicked fish jump up directly into the dolphins' mouths – a nature event I'd only …
January 16, 2015
Touching the money fur in Prince Edward Island
Grass and girls. That was what life was all about, at least viewed through the black, bulby eyes of Keswick, a seven-year-old alpaca. His muppet-like neck bobbing in front of my wife and me, Keswick …
December 26, 2014
Zagreb under the radar
Overshadowed by beach destinations of the south, Zagreb, Croatia’s inland capital, should not be missed. Like several other European capitals, Zagreb is a blend of nature, culture and the characteristic pace of Europeans. What sets …
December 20, 2014
Saginaw, MI: first American home of my ancestors
Most people only know the town of Saginaw, Michigan, from the song made popular in the 1960s by country singer Lefty Frizzel. Some hipsters might know another song, “If I Ever Get to Saginaw” by …
December 12, 2014
Finding the roots of American music in North Louisiana
As a former musician myself, I shake my head sadly at musicians who think they’re getting the folk zeitgeist of a given genre just by listening to records. You learn folk music by listening to …
November 11, 2014