It’s a short ferry ride to Île de Gorée (Gorée Island) from Senegal’s capital, Dakar. I wonder if I can take another day of slave museums in my worn-out state after a severely delayed flight. I quickly regret this stupid thought. Of course I can; it’s only a lack of sleep. It bears absolutely no comparison with what these people went through, so I’m sure that I can find the energy to pay my respects. Everything is calm belying the awful … [Read more...]
Foodlovers: The most unusual dishes of the world
Humans are like Ants. We can eat anything. Just ask the people who live in America and East Asia. In fact, you'll find foods in this world that seem like sprung from Satan's own cookbook. Not just that such food exists, but that people would actually stick this stuff in their mouths without a gun to their head. Suppose that, you have to write an essay on the weird or unusual dishes of the world. In this article, I am going to let you know … [Read more...]
Wining and Dining My Way Through the Mandalay Bay
Like many of the luxury resorts of Las Vegas, the Mandalay Bay has a wealth of ways to entertain and amuse its guests. Naturally there's an expansive casino, where rollers high and low can thrill to the spin of the wheel and the flip of the cards. There's the Shark Reef Aquarium, which has plenty of teeth (piranha tank, anyone?) to sink your sights into, plus stages plumb-filled with stars, like Nashville Unplugged, where stories mix with songs … [Read more...]
Snowboarding on the 4th of July
Imagine, it's the beginning of July and you live in the northern hemisphere. You're likely engaged in swimming, hiking, barbecue and other fun summer outdoor activities. If you're American, you are probably making plans for Independence Day which will likely include outings to a concert or public event. But what if you could spend 4th of July snowboarding in the morning and then swimming in the lakes in the afternoon? Impossible, you say? Guess … [Read more...]
Moscow: Tagansky Bunker Blues
I am early for the tour and am made to wait in the entrance hall. At least I am out of the snow, although it’s colder inside than it was outside. Exactly on schedule, I am ushered in for a security check and then taken back to the cold entrance room for an introduction. Sasha, a youthful but stern 20-something, is my guide. His English leaves much to be desired and he speaks in a loud, military-style voice that seems appropriate for this … [Read more...]
Five days in Port au Prince, Haiti
“Excuse me, you’re going where??!” she gasps while simultaneously taking an irritated stride back, crossing her arms and dishing out that look that husbands the world over dread. “Um. Haiti,” I whimper back. And how can I blame her surprise? Just think of the things that come to mind when you hear the name Haiti: crime, armed violence, political instability, UN soldiers, endemic corruption, hurricanes, earthquakes, Zika virus, poverty, famine, … [Read more...]
Visit San Marino – August 2016
San Marino is entirely land locked surrounded by the Italian borders. It is only 10 km from the Adriatic sea - the country is so small that it does not have its own International airport, but Rimini about 30 minutes away has both an airport and a train station. There are no border formalities - if you want a tourist visa placed in your passport, simply stop by the Tourist Information Office (small fee applies). The country is divided into what … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
5 Unexpected Discoveries in Torrance
I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when I was initially invited to join the Taste of Torrance tour hosted by Discover Torrance, a non-profit organization funded by local hotels to help promote the city, but there can be no great discovery or adventure without an open mind, so off I went. I was fortunate to be staying at the Doubletree Torrance, whose General Manager had not only been there for the past 19 years, but was also the head of the … [Read more...]
Bugs for Breakfast? Will Bugs Ever Be a Sustainable Food Source in the United States?
I was recently in Fort Lauderdale and of all places in a very touristy part of town I stumbled into a bar with multiple screens playing American Football and was surprised to find Chapulines (certain type of grasshopper) on the menu among a variety of 'normal' American foods. I've been thinking about the general lack of demand for edible insects in this country and seeing this on the menu made me think even further. Of course I ordered the … [Read more...]
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