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...]
Sacred Guides
The eighty degree weather we’d had at breakfast in a California border town transitioned sharply into the fifties by lunchtime at the Grand Canyon. I exchanged my flip flops for socks and hiking shoes, threw a jean jacket over my summer dress, and donned a beanie, the only warmer things I had easy access to. My dress whipped around my legs in the chilly wind. The weather was unexpectedly far from ideal for sightseeing, but we couldn’t drive past … [Read more...]
A Place in the Sun
Not yet 09:00 AM and already he could feel a drop of sweat forming on his brow. A hat would have helped, but hats hide your eyes, and for Juan Manuel, his eyes were his meal ticket. He supposed it was his own fault, as he imagined most things were. After all it was he who had chosen to sit here in the sun when there was cool shade on the far side of the boulevard. But this was no ordinary boulevard. He sat on El Malecon, the grand avenue which … [Read more...]
Exploring Little Liechtenstein
We showed up in Vaduz (the capital city) - knowing little more about this small country - other than it was small and fairly mountainous and that there is a royal family. "Small Country Europe" was the latest self titled trip to the continent- we had already visited San Marino and Monaco and Lichtenstein certainly fit this "small" role. We drove up from Lago di Como in Italy ultimately passing through Logano. I have been to Switzerland several … [Read more...]
Virginia is for Foodies
Even if you arrive in Virginia knowing not a soul, don’t be surprised if you leave feeling as if you’ve broken bread and shared drink with good folk who are now friends. That’s the way Virginia strikes me. I come here to eat, drink and contemplate its natural beauty, but am most deeply affected by its people. It’s a truly welcoming place, even to a Northern stranger like me. I recently road- tripped my way through the Commonwealth in search … [Read more...]
Pretty Lake Como
We arrived at Lake Como after some stressful driving along the Autostrada's - we hit some heavy rain for kilometers which didn't help things. We arrived at Como and headed for Bellagio. The road around the lake is extremely narrow and which is challenging in our Land Rover. Cars like to race around the corners and there just isn't much room for mistakes. We almost ran into the wall several times to avoid oncoming traffic - but luckily we had … [Read more...]
Get around New York – by bicycle!
It’s taken a long time, but New York has launched its public bike hire scheme. Similar to those in London, Paris and approximately 500 other cities worldwide, Citi Bike is a new network of bicycles you can hire, ride and drop off at your convenience. As can be expected in a transport network already saturated with traffic, New York’s answer to Boris Bikes are by no means perfect. Cycling in a heavily congested city is always going to be a … [Read more...]
Traffic Jam in Manilla
John M. Edwards trades in his Jeepney for a cab ride to a connecting flight through the traffic-jam capital of the world: Manila! On my way back from Cebu in the Philippines, with my then preggers girlfriend, we received word from the crackling cockpit that our plane was making an unscheduled stop in Manila, so all passengers could connect from another airport to their intended destinations. “WHAT?!” my now-ex girlfriend Susan Shrike (not … [Read more...]
Afghanistan Exposed
Just over one year into our odyssey, while headed overland to Europe, we ventured through Afghanistan. Rocking atop burlap sacks in the open-backed truck, I watched as Peshawar faded into the morning’s mirage. Knowing I’d never return in this lifetime, I felt history being made beneath my feet as upturned dust exposed ancient stories. With a mandatory armed-escort riding in the front, I knew I better play by the rules. At 50C, halfway to the … [Read more...]
To the Lighthouse (Ila Al-Manara)
You can't understand the sense of triumph I felt as I crossed the street unless you've been to Beirut, a city in which I had been in and out over a two year span. My latest stint was nearing its end and I felt reflective and nostalgic and disappointed that the world has decided where you are allowed to live and work based on the coincidence of your birth. I had resolved to take advantage of a hole in the stormy sky and wander the streets of what … [Read more...]
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