Summer time brings a Philippe Starck-designed hotel bringing Palma's Old Town back into the limelight. The capital of the Spanish island of Majorca it now overshadows the beach resorts. Palma ranks among most sought-after European weekend destinations partly due to the affordable renaissance flights from Europe. Palma's resurgence is credited to the revival of the historic center with cobbled streets, stone palaces, quaint plazas and Gothic … [Read more...]
Franco’s Ghosts
November 4, 2003: Today in the news, Franco is still dead but you can still vote for him. Two weeks ago, I stood in front of one of only three still-remaining statues of the late Spanish dictator who died on November 20, 1975. A week later, back home in San Francisco, my Spanish partner cast his ballot: a ballot which still includes Franco's political party "Falange" - Spanish fascists. There's no escaping Franco. Astride his horse, with … [Read more...]
Medellin, Colombia Welcome to Paradise
"Welcome to Medellin, my friend! Look at the mountains! Look at the women! I'll tell you a secret - it's called Paradise!" Although Medellin is considered the most dangerous city in Colombia, if not the world, the locals never stopped telling me that it was the most wonderful place on the planet. The food, the weather, the people, they insisted, could not be better anywhere. That isn't exactly the image that Medellin holds for the rest of … [Read more...]
The Search for the Holy Grail
The Travelogue of a Writer My name is Philip Gardiner. You may or may not know of me, I am the author of several books, including my latest The Serpent Grail and another Gnosis: The Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed. In these books we uncover the secrets of the ancients and reveal the true Holy Grail - an actual artifact within which was mixed the Elixir of Life. All this work didn't take an afternoon. In fact it took many years work and … [Read more...]
And That’s The Way It Is…
I am writing you from Chefchaouen Morocco. All the keys are reorganized on this computer so bear with me as it is very difficult to type. I am not looking at the screen just down at the keyboard. We arrived in Africa yesterday passing by the Rock of Gibraltar. Immediately as anticipated we were hounded by faux guides marketing to us with fear - telling us it was unsafe to travel in the afternoon because Moroccans become more dangerous in the … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Ishinca Trek
During several attempts to climb Ishinca & Toclaraju Dave used Enrique Expeditions, based in Huaraz - as well as a number of guides who for the most part spoke primarily Spanish with only a few words of English. Spanish was the primary language we used when climbing. Guides Francisco and Julio have both been guiding in the mountains for many years - each man has significant experience climbing. Julio has reached the summit of Huascaran (the … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Trekking Companies
Numerous tour guides in Huaraz offer day trips - most are congregated around or just off of the main street near downtown. For day trips, typically you will be picked up at your hotel between 6 and 8am in the morning and dropped off at your hotel between 6 and 7pm in the evening. Travelers certainly can arrange independent travel for day trip activities by by hiring a private taxi or taking a mini bus called a "collectivo". For longer treks or … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Lodging
The height of the tourist season mirrors the climbing season from mid May through the end of September. We have been to Huaraz a number of times, mostly in the climbing season. However during our latest visit we came to Huaraz outside of the climbing season and it was amazing to see how few tourists were in town, and as a result the hostels and hotels were rather empty. Our Recommendations La Cabana Hotel is a small family run … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Restaurants
Dave has eaten at all of the restaurants listed below. More restaurants will be added here during future climbing trips. Cafe Turmanye is owned by Finnish and Spanish missionaries with proceeds from the cafe funding local missionary work. This cafe opened in early summer 2008. Several couches make this a nice place to relax during your breakfast and lunch. Good fruit juices and simple food items. This cafe is just down the hill on the left … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – More Info
Banks Several local and national banks are located in Huaraz as well as 24/7 ATM's - these are all located close to the Plaza del Armas and downtown area. We've used a variety of ATM cards during our trips to Huaraz and never had any problems with the ATM's in town. Money Many of the trekking agencies only accept cash. All convenience stores only accept cash. Pharmacies and some restaurants accept major credit cards. As in other parts of … [Read more...]
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