It’s calm here. The breeze is strong as it passes from Pacific Ocean waters, onto the shore, across the land, and without end back to where the wind did not begin. I am standing on the sandy beach somewhere along the northern coast of Oregon. I feel encased within a vacuum where on my left, the mysterious depths of the ocean, on my right, the business of western civilization. Yet I am caught in a place that seems both in between these two worlds … [Read more...]
Playing In The Mud Is Good For You
Perhaps you remember when you were a kid splashing through puddles of water after a heavy rain or playing in the mud. Remember how it felt? Carefree, happy, and just plain fun! Turns out that playing in the mud is good for you. You can recreate that childhood experience as an adult (sort of) in the spa town of Calistoga, California, located in the north end of California’s famous Napa Valley. The volcanic soil that provides such a perfect … [Read more...]
Club Med: An Unpaid Advertorial Paradise Lost: A Travel Survivalist Kit
Crashing a Club Med in French Polynesia, nonpaying guest intruder John M. Edwards discovers life is no picnic. . . . I awoke on the rooftop of Tahiti’s international airport with a heavy jackboot nudging me in my ribs--! “Monsieur, Monsieur, allons-y!” All of the other sleeping backpackers, alerted by a piping yelp evocative of a vicious French poodle being savagely rogered insensate, rubbed the sleepy seeds from their eyes and gloomily … [Read more...]
Postcard: Gilli Islands Hopping – Peepholes in Paradise
John M. Edwards visits the Indonesian Gilli Islands, a tripartite chain of paradise islets, ending up on Gilli Trawangan, where locals Gilligans follow us around and spy on us like flypaper paparazzi. “I see India everywhere but I do not recognize any of it.” --Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. . . . “Hello, John!” the curiously canny kid said, eyes wide with the practiced veneer of a … [Read more...]
The Amazingly Industrious Trishaw Driver from the Sultan’s Kraton
John M. Edwards rides around into infinity with an amazingly industrious trishaw driver skilled in perpetual motion for a mere pittance (a pocketful of rupiahs) at the Sultan’s Kraton in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. At the Sultan’s Kraton in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, I stood face to face with “The Great Man”--the Sultan himself! Since I was a known American “oil baron,” not a gas station attendant but part owner of a privately held oil and … [Read more...]
In Search of Dracula and Gothic Legends
At the foot of the mountain pass, tips of Gothic turrets and towers loom into sight above the stretch of dense evergreen which nestle between the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains. Having driven, (and survived!) through the Romanian winding roads since early dawn, the clouds now reveal a dramatic backdrop of ancient forests and mountain peaks. When the castle finally comes into view, distant memories of late-night films fill the impending … [Read more...]
Feast: Vietnam Vittles
John M. Edwards chows down in Hanoi, finding fun with pho and no, no, no Walking along the French colonial streets of Hanoi after a light rain--sidestepping the crazy moped drivers and inspecting the caldrons of street food bubbling with bad bacteria and rat meat (popular not only here but in neighboring Cambodia)--the first thing you notice is the conspicuous lack of “organized” restaurants of any stripe. I asked what appeared to be a … [Read more...]
Parahawking in Pokhara
We flew from San Francisco to Kathmandu and spent a couple of days there to acclimate before we flew to Pokhara to experience a life changing experience, parahawking. Pokhara is a destination for paragliders and there are many companies that offer a paragliding experience. Scott Mason, a British national offers a unique experience, paragliding with a trained bird of prey. Scott, an avid paraglider, started Blue Sky Paragliding in part … [Read more...]
Lariam Dreams: Malaria or Madness?
John M. Edwards wonders whether taking the world’s strongest antimalarial drug might be worse than getting the dread eldritch disease itself? “I dared to dream with my eyes wide open. . . .” --T.E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom In Nairobi, Kenya, a man from Philadelphia loses it and leaps from a hotel’s second-story window. . . . He is now a paraplegic. At a Waldenbooks store, an ex Peace Corps worker goes … [Read more...]
Cebu Will Always Be A Paradise!
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller “Book a ticket now and just fly!” - this is what happened on 24th of May, year 2014, my friends and I decided to explore several islands of Cebu, Philippines. Plane ticket booked. Next in line: Do the research. My little knowledge about the place gave me the enthusiasm to go online and start moving my fingers on my laptop keyboard for my research. What is the … [Read more...]
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