“I want to live in ONLY places where I can wear a pink wig.” These were the heart felt, love stricken words of my friend in love with the way Amsterdam made her feel. So far I have been to two cities that made me feel magic in the air. One is San Francisco where I have lived since I left home at 18; and the other is Amsterdam. There is something about the air there that makes you want to stay and never go home. I remember as a kid whenever … [Read more...]
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Cambodia- What to Expect
Freshly off a sweltering, barely-running bus, I’m poised at the entrance to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, or as it’s known to most visitors, S21. This was a former schoolhouse turned torture prison from 1975-79 during the Khmer Rouge’s notoriously brutal, merciless, yet hasty, reign of Cambodia. I hand over the small entrance fee, and am instantly clouted by the deceptively pleasant grounds. Aromas of freshly planted flowers punctuate the insane … [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...]
Experience Midsummer Like a Local in Five Baltic Sea Cities
In Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Warsaw and Hamburg alike, Residents Enjoy Their Summers to the Fullest, Inviting Visitors to Join Celebrations and Laid-back Summer Activities. Los Angeles, April 29, 2014 – Connected by the Baltic Sea, shared history and cultural traditions, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Riga, Warsaw and Hamburg have, above all, one thing in common: Locals worship their summer with warm winds and short nights when the sun barely … [Read more...]
Foraging with Pascal, a Professional Wild Food Forager in Los Angeles
A few hours spent with Los Angeles based wild food forager, Pascal Baudar will open your eyes to the wonders and diversity of the edible natural world. That natural world will come alive in ways perhaps you didn't think were possible. Plants growing wild which can be harvested and prepared as food are literally everywhere. Pascal is one of only a very select few professional wild food foragers in Los Angeles. There is a reason for that - … [Read more...]
Moon Dance Cliffs a well-kept secret in Jamaica
Jamaica’s one of those places that gets a mixed response when you tell people you’re going. It’s either, “Man, I love Jamaica, it’s gorgeous” or “No way I’d go to Jamaica, it’s too dangerous.” Funny how that is. I’ve run into tons of gorgeous in Jamaica and never any danger. Granted, you can find danger wherever you are, or it finds you, but by and large, be careful, don’t be stupid and put yourself in known places of danger, you’ll be … [Read more...]
The Insanely-Tested Top Ten Travel Tips for Spring
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...]
Honduras: When Conservation Goes Too Far
Honduras is like the monkey who locked up the zookeeper. This little tropical realm has put away the constrained thinking that keeps others stuck in unproductive routines, and allowed its wildness to escape the margins. ~Richard Bangs Because it’s faithful to our childlike imaginations of wilderness, our youthful notions of life authentic and unadulterated, Honduras remains a true, original adventure. Far from the strictures of … [Read more...]
Plum Blossoms Mark a Spring of Festivals & Events in Hangzhou China
International Tea Expo, Cartoon and Animation Fair, Spring Festival Temple Fair, Winter-sweet and Mume Blossoms Show and the Wild Monkey Festival Hangzhou, China — The winter bloom of China’s distinct Mume flower, or “Plum Blossom,” marks the first signs of a Spring full of festivals and events in the ancient city of Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as “the most beautiful and splendid city in the world” for its ancient temples and the UNESCO … [Read more...]
What do Van Morrison, The Godfather of Punk, and Seamus Heaney have in Common?
There is a theory of “primitive affluence” that suggests that when a society has its primary needs met by Nature...food, shelter, clothing…then it will turn to creativity. Bali, a tropical island in Indonesia where the rich volcanic soil produces an abundance of food and materials for fabrics and building, is held as an example. The trope is that “everyone in Bali is an artist.” Yet, while it is true that most everyone spends days carving, … [Read more...]
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