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...]
Exploring Chachangsao Thailand
Driving by the signs for the Bang Khla floating market many times over the years finally we decided to go. On a Wednesday. File this decision in the "stupid" category. All the floating markets we have gone to in and around Bangkok have always been held on the weekends only. So to was the case here. We drove 90 mins to the river in Chachangsao and lo and behold we arrived to a bunch of empty buildings and no one floating on the river. Making … [Read more...]
Los Angeles Exploration and Public Transportation
Los Angeles and public transportation seem to be diametrically opposed, but the City of Angels does have a well-placed system of buses accessible from numerous reaches of this large metropolis. Yet, the use of public transportation here, unlike many other major cities is unfortunately rooted in classism; people of a certain social strata do not take the bus. This bias seems frivolous, as the buses are clean, cheap and fairly easy to access and … [Read more...]
Spain: Help, Help me Ronda!
John M. Edwards gets vertigo and yells help in a lofty Andalusian precipice town where Walt Disney’s family supposedly originally came from. . . . Away from the ugly urbanization of Spain’s Costa del Sol, along scenic Highway 44, I arriveD in my leased “Europe by Car” vehicle via Marbella to Ronda, one of the most beautiful villas blancos (“white villages”) in the Andalusian countryside. Perched, this improbably fantastic nest persists on … [Read more...]
Zell, Germany
Black Katz and Tiny Bubbles Ahhh, the hills are alive...no, that’s Julie Andrews and Austria. Black cats and voodoo dolls…no, that’s Ricky Martin and Miami. Tiny bubbles...no that’s Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra or somebody. I do know we were sitting at an outdoor café along the hills of the Moselle River. There were black katz on every bottle of wine we tasted. In fact, every signpost and even the hills boasted pictures of black katz. No … [Read more...]
Unbridled: A Memoir
After my divorce, I needed to travel, to go on a journey to find myself. What better place to start than Ireland, home of my ancestors? During my trip I found images and parts of me that I didn't know existed. I found them in the faces and personalities all around me; in their laughter and ability to laugh at themselves; in the scenery; the castles and cottages; in the weather- stormy and changeable like myself; in the roads: driving on the … [Read more...]
The Secret of Happiness: London (UK)
On Shakespeare's "Sceptr'd Isle," in London, John M. Edwards is confronted by an Aggro Cockney near Hyde Park's Free-Speech Forum: "Speaker's Corner" I once came across a swarthy gentleman wearing a sign around his neck emblazoned with the words, “The Secret of Happiness." Obviously a palmed pound coin could loosen the red rascal’s lips. Even if the “secret” was passed down generation to generation by word of mouth within a Da Vinci … [Read more...]
Stork Storm over Santiago de Compostela
Airmail from Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain) An American backpacker travels the 500-mile Christian pilgrimage route of “El Camino de Santiago de Compostela” (St. James Way)—only to end up surviving an aggro divebombing storm of storks! “Oh, look, the birds are so fonny!” said an olive-eyed senorita, a groovy Gallego art student with an auburn cloak from a nearby university. I didn’t agree. After all, birds are descended from the … [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...]
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