We touched down in Koror Palau on a cloudless evening - with a full moon blazing and reflecting off of the wings of the plane the entire flight over from Guam. We had arranged a homestay ahead of time and the owner was going to pick us up. We arrived at 130am, waited until 2am then called our homestay. The father of the owner spoke no English. We called back with someone from the Visit Palau doing the talking. He told us, "oh she's not here - she … [Read more...]
Visiting Narita and Tokyo
Narita Airport is a major hub airport for both Japan and all of the Asian Pacific rim. Hundreds of flights arrive and depart daily. We have flown here a number of times and on long layovers enjoy visiting both nearby Narita and the Tokyo metropolitan region. The airport itself has two major terminals (1 and 2) and a bus provides transportation between each one. The airport is modern, has free WiFi in a number of selected WiFi stations and for … [Read more...]
Hanging out in the ‘Desh
We leave for our trip to the Deep South with 38 other Bengalis. We are the only western tourists on this trip - we will fly back because of the great distance and terrible delays that plague the river ways this time of year (usually fog related). Interestingly the airline we fly back on is called United....Airways that is. We are seeking out sightings of the rare Royal Bengal Tiger, one of the last few places in the world that you can see this … [Read more...]
Lonely Planet Thailand
Lonely Planet Thailand by Suzanne Nam is our most visited country outside of the USA so when the latest version of a new Thailand guidebook pops up on our radar we take a close look. In this case it is the 4th edition from Moon Handbooks and Bangkok resident Suzanne Nam. This book has great detailed maps, recommended 5 star restaurants and hotels for 3-star prices, listing of the best beaches, itineraries, a Thai phrasebook and much more. … [Read more...]
An Affair To Remember
In the summer of 1994, I fell in love at first sight. It was a true summer romance in all its glory, white hot in intensity, and I remember every moment. Passion completely consumed me from the first glance. I was hopelessly, irretrievably -- joyously -- lost. There was so much to know, and so little time. The depth of my love transformed my life forever. And then, all too soon, it was over. The parting broke my heart. I have never … [Read more...]
The Journey to South Africa
Johannesburg was chilly cold that winter morning when the Boeing 737 South African Airways plane touched down from Lagos. I was among the teeming passengers that disembarked. I took my turn through custom and immigration clearance. Soon I was in a registered airport taxi to the park station in Braamfontein. I'd catch the early-morning Greyhound coach to Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape to attend the 6th triennial congress of the Shakespeare … [Read more...]
The 4 Bridges Crossing the Canal Grande in Venice
The two most striking characteristics of Venice are its extremely romantic appeal and the picturesque canals that are like the unique equivalent of streets in other cities. The biggest of these canals is the Canal Grande (in Venetian referred to as Canalasso). At a length of 3800 meters it stretches through the whole city in the shape of an 's'. Curiously enough there are only four opportunities to cross the Canal Grande throughout the city, … [Read more...]
Dimples in the Rain
Its a safe place where I live. It's all vanilla condominiums, white fences, tree lined streets and all the stuff of suburban legends. Every dog here has a license and a leash. It's not like that in Africa. At least not in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, only the donkeys were sure-footed, as I traveled during the rainy season. I slipped down the hilly, rocky streets and hopped over gutters filled with trash and the heads and hooves of the prior night's … [Read more...]
Life in a Tree House – memoirs of a 2-week vegetarian
I had been surfing the internet, looking for a volunteer opportunity that would allow us to stay in Buenos Aires for a couple weeks. We thought it would be good to get our hands dirty again, stay in a place for a while, and meet some fantastic people. We were right! We saw the website and thought we'd give it a try. From the name, it was a little risky, here are my immediate, unfiltered thoughts: eco - will we have warm showers? Will we be … [Read more...]
Still Alive
I'm learning to read his jaw. Sometimes I lose the language in his translations, but his jaw telegraphs the unspeakable. But, tonight, I can't see it. We're facing each other, squaring off in the shadows over outdoor vanilla sundaes laced with crisp kiwis and strawberries, arguing about whether I should accompany him to pick up his food rations from the United Nations. The UN had suspended food giveaways, and he finally has an appointment … [Read more...]
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