I had been surfing the internet, looking for a volunteer opportunity that would allow us to stay in Buenos Aires for a couple weeks. We thought it would be good to get our hands dirty again, stay in a place for a while, and meet some fantastic people. We were right! We saw the website http://www.ecoyogapark.com/ and thought we'd give it a try. From the name, it was a little risky, here are my immediate, unfiltered thoughts: eco - will we have … [Read more...]
Once in a Lifetime
What did I know about birds? Enough to feed spinach greens, not stale muffins, to the domestic ducks at Recreation Park in my hometown of Long Beach, CA. Enough to avoid annoying the thirty-pound swans in London's Hyde Park. Enough to understand that silence was golden while trailing knowledgeable birdwatchers in the woods near The House of the Doves at Uxmal. And once, at my grandmother's house in Los Angeles when I was ten, I learned the hard … [Read more...]
Suds and Solace
"The future is an opaque mirror. Anyone who tries to look into it sees nothing but the dim outlines of an old and worried face." --Jim Bishop The morning of September 11, 2001, as a Peace Corps trainer I'd scarcely opened an HIV/AIDS seminar in a shabby hotel two hours north of Port-au-Prince, when the Haiti health program manager pulled me aside. "The World Trade Center and the Pentagon have been attacked by planes," she whispered. "It's … [Read more...]
Still Alive
I'm learning to read his jaw. Sometimes I lose the language in his translations, but his jaw telegraphs the unspeakable. But, tonight, I can't see it. We're facing each other, squaring off in the shadows over outdoor vanilla sundaes laced with crisp kiwis and strawberries, arguing about whether I should accompany him to pick up his food rations from the United Nations. The UN had suspended food giveaways, and he finally has an appointment … [Read more...]
Thailand: One man’s virgin tour
Dried fish at a Bangkok street market I wake up at 5:30 a.m. on the 57th floor of the Lebua at State Tower, an upscale hotel in the thick of Bangkok, the Praya River snaking by below. I stand and listen, hearing a throaty growl seeming to gather steam in the distance and figure it has to be an airplane leaving the city from Suvarnabhumi Airport. But how can that be? For one thing, the airport is 19 miles away. For another, the sound doesn't … [Read more...]
May’s Sizzlin’ News From Hawai’i, The Big Island
Hawai'i Island (May 3, 2011) - Spring has sprung on Hawai'i Island, where the yellow, red and salmon-colored blossoms of native 'ōhi'a lehua trees greet visitors in special abundance this time of year. Plan your spring fling now, and be inspired by Hawai'i Island's natural beauty all year long. ADVENTURES, ACTIVITIES & EVENTS Why Hilo? Fly Hilo! Hilo will welcome two new direct flights from California in June. United Airlines (operated by … [Read more...]
Foodie Field Trip: Los Alamos
For our first field trip, we headed to Los Alamos, about an hour south of San Luis Obispo and an hour north of Santa Barbara. Rolling the dice for a sunny weekend with dry pavement after a solid week of gray rain, we scored with great weather on Sunday and a pleasant loop road ride through the hills east of town along Cat, Foxen, and Alisos Canyons. But before the sunshine, the rain had a few more things to say. Gloomy Saturdays are made for … [Read more...]
Cotton Tree: Year-Round Sketch Classes Draw Cultural Travelers
Experience the Art of Travel at Authentic Caribbean Outpost Grand Cayman - Experienced and beginning sketch artists will find artistic inspiration and the perfect way to relax at Cotton Tree, the Cayman Islands' first boutique cottage hotel, where on-site classes led by a local artist provide a picturesque instructional brush-up amid the beauty of Cotton Tree's lush gardens on the Caribbean Sea. Sketch classes at Cotton Tree include all … [Read more...]
Glimpses of a Golden Age
"Fight for a just cause. Love your fellow man. Live a good life." Taking the first two letters of each part of his motto, William Bourn named his lavish country estate Filoli. Bourn indeed lived a very good life in this 36,000 sq ft mansion with its 43 rooms and 17 fireplaces. The estate was built with his gold mining money in 1917, sold to shipping magnate, William Roth, in 1937 and is now maintained by The National Trust for Historic … [Read more...]
Cebu Paradise, History So Affluent
A surge of Faithful Catholic devotees at the Basilica's prayer sanctuary. The Philippine Islands would never be in its present popularity had it not been for the stroke of luck which led to the discovery of Cebu by the great explorer Fernando Magallanes who first sighted Samar, Cebu's neighboring island, on March 16, 1521. Unlike many of its interesting destinations, this central part of the Philippines certainly does an important milestone … [Read more...]
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