If you look at a map of Colombia in South America, you see a huge region in eastern Colombia comprising sprawling, seasonally flooded plains that have been ignored by tourists due to their location (former …
July 11, 2013
Travel off the Beaten Path
Los Llanos: wild Colombia
Burkina Faso: remote logic and the almighty dollar
In my long-range travels I have learned two great lessons: 1) the people most removed from the modern world not only think differently than I do but are far more logical, and 2) Western-style capitalism …
July 11, 2013
History-rich Mechelen, Belgium
In Mechelen – pronounced with a guttural "ch" – religion has played a tremendous role for over 800 years. The city's provided shelter, freedom for women, even beer...and it’s also served as a dark double-edged …
July 9, 2013
Five reasons to visit Slovenia
Preface: I do not usually gush about entire countries. I do not work for the Slovenian office of tourism. 1) Ljubljana (pronounced "lube-ee-ana") is a beautiful city with a central old town and a river …
July 7, 2013
Dharma Travel: Florida's Gold Coast pilgrimages
Faith tourism is a booming billion-dollar industry, yet humans have sought refuge from the mundane drudgery of their daily lives and taken "holidays" in remote sanctuaries from the beginning of time in order to revive …
July 5, 2013
At the World's End: Grand Canyon Caverns
After leaving the surreal and creepy ghost town of Chloride, AZ, we stopped for an obligatory chocolate malt at one of the many charming diners on Route 66 and considered the time. With five hours …
July 1, 2013
Manzanar National Historic Site, CA
When I arrived in Lone Pine, that sweet little town at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas, I planned to make a documentary about mountain climbing. I would try to climb Mt. Whitney, and I …
June 25, 2013
A señorita in Girona
It wasn’t long ago that we visited Girona. After a six-hour drive from Nice, France, and just a few drops of fuel left, we arrived in the northeast conurbation of Catalonia. It was impossible to …
June 24, 2013
Providencia, Colombia
Below us, the island came into view, encircled by a brittle ring of coral reefs made distinguishable by whitewater ripping at the edges. A turquoise iris skirted the white sandy edges of the Caribbean island …
June 18, 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
Andasibe, Madagascar
Tina, my male Malagasy guide, planned a trip to the Andasibe National Park and a small lemur reserve. On the walk there we discussed different cultural aspects of Madagascar and his history. Arriving in the …
June 13, 2013