I've cruised dozens of ships on various lines and in my opinion this is as good as it gets on a mega-liner of 2200+ passengers with 920 crew. Costa's Atlantica was a floating palace of art deco furnishings, marble inlaid floors and millions of dollars invested in original works of art. It exceeded my expectations. Also I normally loose weight on cruises shunning the ships artificial fare. This time I over indulged on varied menus of fresh food. I … [Read more...]
El Salvador, Part 2: The Thoughts
The end of 1970s was a turbulent period in Salvadorian politics. Various juntas formed and collapsed, tension soon spilled indo an epidemic of underground political violence and murders, until at some point a war against the government was declared by a leftist coalition (FMLN). After a 12-year carnage peace was finally struck in 1992, with the government taking necessary reforms to stay in power, and the FMLN re-organising into a political … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA – Equipment List
The following are important items that you will want to take to Mt. Rainier if you are planning to climb to the summit via the standard Disappointment Cleaver router. Also, there may be additional items you will want to bring not listed here. This list assumes 2-3 days on the mountain and it assumes you will experience below freezing temperatures and strong winds. For reference, Dave's climb was in late June. Other routes may require more … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA – Seattle
Seattle is a young, vibrant and modern city. It boasts the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It is a city of coffee shops (not just Starbucks), twenty and thirty "somethings", parks, an intimate relationship with water, and mountaineering & high tech companies. Due to its proximity to the Olympic Peninsula, Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound, Seattle is a city that loves to be outdoors. Numerous outdoor destinations are within a … [Read more...]
Wheelchair Accessible Travel in Paris
I. INTRODUCTION A passerelle is a pedestrian bridge, of which central Paris has two (see II. Wheeling Around, below). It seems appropriate for an article about being a pedestrian in a city bisected by a vibrant river, centered on a beautiful riverfront and connected by grand, functional and varied bridges. We hope this article will bridge any gaps in access information and inspire disabled travelers to establish connections with this … [Read more...]
The Skyclad Jain Monks in Kundalpur
During our four months trip in India this year, my husband and I stopped in Khajuraho to visit the Erotic Temples. There, we heard of a small village Kundalpur, where hundreds of Jain Monks will gather in a two-day festival to celebrate fifty women becoming Jain mothers. We left Khajuraho together with a local Jain couple and their family car for Kundalpur to take part in the festival. Kundalpur turned out to be a very enriching and deeply … [Read more...]
The G.A.P Top 5: Travel Memories
This was enormously difficult for me. First of all, choosing a top five is never easy. Ranking was totally out of the question! And then condensing days and days of vivid and rich experiences into a little summarized blurb was near impossible. I could go on and on but here are 5 of my fondest travel experiences. Montezuma, Costa Rica Body-surfed for breakfast after having watched the spectacular sunrise through my tattered tent door then … [Read more...]
Walking with Ghosts
Hurricane Katrina had no favorites. She picked equally on the weak and the strong, black and white. She stomped on the rich and the poor and she stopped life in its tracks. Imagine life with all your possessions in the front yard or in the gutters. Worse yet, imagine you have no possessions, no house. Imagine searching for your friends, your family or your pet weeks after they disappeared. Yes, just imagine! This is the reality for thousands … [Read more...]
Los Angeles, CA – Downtown
For the nation's second largest city LA's downtown is actually very small and is eerily quiet on the weekends. On a number of occasions we have been standing in the middle of a major 6 lane boulevard in downtown just laughing to ourselves about the total lack of people and cars present! Certain streets are surprisingly empty. Depending on where you are (compared to the congestion of the freeways), even on weekdays parts of downtown can feel … [Read more...]
Los Angeles, CA – Gardens
Arlington Garden Sometimes you need a break from the 210 or the 134 and you decide to pull off into Pasadena seeking a respite from the traffic and chaos of urban congestion. That place is the 3-acre Arlington Garden oasis located at 275 Arlington Dr in Pasadena. Free parking is curbside on Arlington Drive or on nearby residential streets. This free public garden (the only one in Pasadena) contains a number of short pathways winding through a … [Read more...]
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