Spring is the season hope is rekindled, when broken blades are renewed, and light washes the shadows. We can go barefoot in the grass, pluck the charms of flowers, whistle in the warming breeze, and hit the winding road. Jasper Bangs, who has been to 34 countries, with a spring in his step But, as with any venture, travel can have its pitfalls and pitsprings, if the traveler is not rightly attuned to or aware of warning signs. Many, and … [Read more...]
Touring Australia’s Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley, when compared to the age of the European wine regions is rather young. However if you look deeper you realize there is a lot of "history" here. These are some of the oldest soils on the planet - the mountain ranges have been so well weathered they are now just gentle rolling hills. The Barossa is one of Australia's earliest wine regions - having been founded not by the British but by German settlers in the early 1840's. … [Read more...]
Koh Yao Noi Island, Thailand
If Thailand is considered the land of smiles, then Koh Yao Noi is the island of smiles. The locals are genuine, down to earth, very friendly and yes, often you will be greeted with a smile. You will surprisingly find this small island laid back despite being only about a 30 minute boat road from two fairly developed urban areas focusing on mass tourism - Phuket and Krabi. There are no high rises here, crazy nightlife and accompanying noise, … [Read more...]
Stowe’s Simple Surprises
Sometimes luxury is in the simple things. Driving the last ten miles along Route 100 toward Stowe, Vermont, I was entering another way of life. There are no sky-scrapers, no fast-food chains, no billboards or even back-lit signs. There are independent little one- and two-storey shops, selling cheeses and maple syrups and cider doughnuts. I pulled into the parking lot at the recently renovated Topnotch Resort and Spa and quickly ducked … [Read more...]
Dispatch: The Berlin Stories Check-in at Checkpoint Charlie
Separated from his student tour group in East Berlin, a much younger John M. Edwards gets seriously lost and says, “Ich bin ein Berliner!” (I am a doughnut!), but, er, for exactly how long? It’s a race against time to find “Chuck” and bust through the border crossing before the “Iron Curtain” closes. . . . For numerology fans, both the first Mayflower landing at Plymouth Rock and the dramatic fall of the Berlin Wall fell on my birthday: … [Read more...]
Riding the rails, the Legendary Ghan – Alice Springs to Adelaide
We pulled out of the Alice Springs station at 1245pm sharp on the legendary Ghan train. The recent rain had passed and it was another cloudless warm brilliantly sunny day that this town is noted for this time of year. Harbouring bit of sadness because I am leaving the great Outback, I silently treasure my new-found experiences as we head south. These are memories created from watching the sunrise on Uluru, being introduced to the indigenous … [Read more...]
The Royal Horseguards Hotel, London
One of London’s most elegant hotels is The Royal Horseguards situate on the Embankment overlooking the mighty River Thames flowing sedately along to the sea. This grand property has been the center of a seated establishment for many a decade and still offers warmth, glamour and service to its patrons. Many politicians and statesmen frequent the hotel today because of its closeness to the Houses of Parliament and Ministry of … [Read more...]
Postcard from Cahuita: Wish You Were Here on the “Rich Coast” (Costa Rica)
John M. Edwards succumbs to the lures and snares of Costa Rica’s Caribbean “ecotourism,” instead of “narcissism,” in a relatively wealthy country translating literally as “Rich Coast.” I stood in a state of stupefaction, eavesdropping on a few randomundocumented locals who looked like they were engaging in a slapping fight—except with warm smiles of nonrecognition on their faces, maybe ganja buzzes. “Hey, mon, wha’appen!” “Wa’appen, … [Read more...]
I Left my Box in San Francisco
Chocolate lover John M. Edwards muses over why the travel magazine "trips" went out of business in San Francisco, apparently because of a typo, as well as some other funny ass shit. In Haight-Ashbury, once the center of the 1960s Hippy Flower Power Movement, I came upon a hawker selling unique chicken-claw pipes. I purchased one and held it up in the light as he passed me a tape of Ry Cooder, the famous slide guitarist who taught Keith … [Read more...]
5 Honolulu Highlights
After several visits to Kauai, Maui, Molokai and the Big Island of Hawaii, I finally had a chance to visit Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands and home to the state capital of Honolulu. My travel opportunity came with an invitation to Honolulu to attend the launch of the new Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard issued by Barclaycard. Although primarily a business trip, I got a wonderful taste of what Honolulu has to offer leisure … [Read more...]
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