John M. Edwards, alias ”Tom James, Zagat Reviewer,” wonders if a bon vivant who can’t cook but can criticize, could possibly win a James Beard prize for “gourmandism.” “I’m sorry but we are fully committed!” The dumbed-down dame maitr’d, a dead ringer for “Jewel,” flashed an ultra ambiguous vampyr smile. Inside, it did indeed slightly resemble a lunatic asylum. Horsey-faced tourists yammered loudly, throwing back their heads with … [Read more...]
Encountering the COTONOU fetish tradition
As a young school boy growing up in the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, the thought of visiting neighboring Benin Republic fiercely fascinated me. In our history class during my secondary school days, we'd been taught about the great Dahomey kingdom which, at its loftiest height, extended to parts of Badagry which is now located in present-day Lagos, Nigeria. Now an Anthropologist whose core research interests lie in cultural evolutions, I was quite … [Read more...]
Palau, Micronesia Has A Host Of Options For Adventure Seekers
(Palau, Micronesia --- June 20, 2013) --- Known for its world-class scuba diving conditions, Palau is host to a whole range of options for adventure seekers. In addition to being one of Jacques Cousteau’s favorite dive destinations, this Micronesian paradise is also one of Survivor TV’s Jeff Probst’s favorite places on earth. It’s no wonder…the remote location is free of commerciality and truly a genuine eco-environment, which is not at all … [Read more...]
Exploring Italy and San Marino
Today we spent the morning exploring old town Verona - coming across crowds for the first time since our stay here. The crowds were buzzing around Dante's statue (yes that Dante from Dante's Inferno - he spent some time in Verona) and supposedly the balcony and house of Juliet in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". There has been a lot of rain here, coupled with the slightly warmer temperatures and the snow melt, the rivers are swollen. Verona … [Read more...]
Corregidor: A Legacy Of War
Roiling thuds from warship mortars, swishing sounds from fighter planes, the wailing and myriad of death probably depicts the actual scene of the blood-spattered battle in the summer of 1942. All of it reverberates in my mind while my passenger ship passes through the waters of Corregidor. Taking a quick video of the battle site, I can imagine how frightening it was: below a pale grey sky, a huge black smoke perhaps darkened overhead, old … [Read more...]
Charles Duncombe: Founder, Holidaysplease
Recently we had a chance to ask Charles about some of his travels (he has been all over the world) and what went into starting his successful travel company, Holidaysplease. Q. What is your background and when did you first become interested in International travel? Despite being brought up in a small village in the UK I managed to experience international travel from an early age. I used to get driven down to the south of France with my … [Read more...]
World War II History Tour on Peleliu Island, Palau
Peleliu Island in the country of Palau is a part of the beautiful "rock islands" - hundreds of small limestone islands all covered with vegetation. This southern most part of Palau offers spectacular beauty in the form of pure white sand beaches, peculiar looking umbrella-like shaped islands, intense green vegetation covering the islands and its turquoise waters. There are a number of reefs in the area and snorkeling provides excellent visibility … [Read more...]
The appearance of the gun
Today we drove to the northern part of the country, passing small villages, rural fields and many sheep and cow herders. Walking seems to be the preferred form of transportation and one always has to keep an eye open for people on the side of the road. Driving can be challening yet fun. Some of the roads were full of pot holes - or perhaps potholes is not the appropriate word - craters might be more sufficive! So you come up on a crater in your … [Read more...]
Prowling the Sproul State Forest in Pennsylvania
"There's a view there, but I'm not too sure how good it will be." View? I was all about the view. That was the reward for a difficult hike. That was the explanation I gave to my mother who could not understand "why anyone would want to walk up a mountain" - how else would I get to see wonderful vistas? How else could I stand in awe at my own puniness in the face of nature's grandness? And this hike had promised three vistas, at least one of them … [Read more...]
The Artist and the Tinker
Some couples are as different as night and day. That's the way it was with my husband Bill and myself. There were a legion of differences, but probably the biggest was that I considered myself the artist and the only one of us that had any truly creative spirit. I would consider the things I did as a crafting of ideas with the fine and incisive beam of a laser mind and would think of Bill (who had worked as a general contractor in the … [Read more...]