October 17, 2002 The advantage of freezing weather is that foods like milk, cheese, and meats don't go bad when they're stuffed in the panniers (the saddlebags) of a bicycle. It also seems to slow the rotting of fruits and vegetables. And drinking water is always refreshingly cold. The disadvantages, however, are that the bicycle chain seems stiffer and more resistant to pedaling no matter how much lubrication it gets. The camera's film … [Read more...]
Under the Cobalt
Africa greets you with immediate attention. You just barely exit the boat ramp before many men, who we kindly call hustlers, but who call themselves "guides," greet you, offering you their local expertise for a price. I ignored all eyes and comments as a way to say I was uninterested, but it was more difficult than that. We managed to make our way to the more honest taxi stands and request a ride to the bus station. We had decided to go directly … [Read more...]
Backpackers and Billionaires
It used to be that backpacking trips to Fiji involved a bus ride from Nadi to Suva, then a ferry to somewhere like Ovalau, Savusavu, Taveuni or Kadavu. No more. These days young budget travelers are lining up to go to the Yasawa Islands, a chain of 16 large volcanic islands and dozens of smaller ones roughly 35 km off the west coast of Viti Levu. The dazzling white beaches, clear warm waters, colorful coral reefs, and sunny dry climate make … [Read more...]
Return to Ouvea
"Ouvea is everything you'd expect in a South Pacific island. Twenty kilometers of unbroken white sands border the lagoon on the west side of the island and extend far out from shore to give the water a turquoise hue. The wide western lagoon, protected by a string of coral islands and a barrier reef, is the only one of its kind in the Loyalties. On the ocean side are rocky cliffs, pounded by surf, but fine beaches may be found even here. At one … [Read more...]
Bringing Europe Home
July 16, 2004 Gutten tag! Hello friends! Greetings from the Viennese Internet cafe! I just returned from paying my respects to some of the great classical composers of our time! Some people make pilgrimages to Rome or Mecca, but I pay homage to people like Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss. Standing before all of them lined in a circle around me felt like a religious experience. I only wish I had the power to bring them all back to … [Read more...]
Moscow
My sister had been working with a charity organization in Moscow, Russia for several years. Throughout that time we had been corresponding with her by mail and were fascinated with her tales and interesting stories and experiences in Moscow! It was at that time, to our surprise, she sent a message to my mother inviting us to come and help with some of the projects she was working on. After several months of preparation we were off to embark on … [Read more...]
A White Trash Ski Trip
A few years back I went on my very first skiing experience which was unfortunately before I had a healthy respect for what is a very fun sport, but one in which to be careful. Arrogantly I was going to ski like everyone else who'd lived in the snowcapped towns of Sweden all their lives. They made it look so easy. I learned on the first trip not only down the slope, but up it too, that it's a tad bit more difficult than it looks. I was an … [Read more...]
Columbia, CA
However, instead of continuing their journey, they elected to camp for the night under a large oak tree. The five men had traveled for months searching for gold said to be easily picked out of California's mountain streams. They had found plenty of streams but no gold. All five spent a miserable night on the ground as a rain storm drenched Tuolumne County. In the morning, the men decided to let their blankets dry out before continuing on … [Read more...]
Visit California
Are you planning a vacation, but can't decide where to go or what to do? If you are, then stop worrying, vacation in sunny California. California has a land area of over 155,000 square miles with almost 850 miles of coastline and beaches, 25,000,000 acres of desert, mountains, including Mount Whitney which at 14,505 feet above sea level is the second tallest mountain in the continental United States, numerous lakes, rivers and creeks, forests … [Read more...]
Visit Pasadena
No one thinks about the city of Pasadena, California, unless it is Rose Bowl or Rose Parade time, except for Los Angeles County residents and people who hear the song "Little Old Lady From Pasadena". When tourists think about visiting California they most often think about going to Disneyland or cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco or beach cities like Long Beach, Monterey, Newport Beach, San Diego, Santa Monica, etc.. Very few of them … [Read more...]
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