"Placed on this planet since yesterday, and only for a day, we can only hope to glimpse the knowledge that we will probably never attain." -Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, 1796 Dateline: Mount Pilates, Switzerland I've penned a few books that have been placed in the category of "wilderness travel." But perhaps the first to stock this shelf was the eighteenth-century mountaineer Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who wrote in his opus, Voyages … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
An Afternoon in Brooklyn’s Park Slope
I recently spent a Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn’s Park Slope. There were a handful of places I wanted to visit to make the nearly 30 minute trip from Washington Square Park worthwhile. I played U2’s The Joshua Tree on my new iPhone 6S and boarded the D train to the Atlantic Av-Pacific St. From there, I intended to transfer to the 2-3 line, but there was a delay, so I boarded the Q train and took it one stop to 7 Av instead. This area was new … [Read more...]
Exploring Duga: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine
The Russian Woodpecker was so powerful it globally disrupted TV and radio broadcasts, commercial aviation communications, and even utility transmissions. The Woodpecker’s official name is Duga, it is a humongous, over-the-horizon radar that the Soviets utilized to detect nuclear ballistic launches in the US. This power-hungry Duga was located in the shadow of the doomed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in present day Ukraine. During the Soviet … [Read more...]
Visit Nazare Portugal – January 2016
This coastal town sits on the edge of a hill overlooking wide orangish sand beaches which extend up and down the coastline. This quaint European city is full of restaurants and places to stay and makes for a good base for exploring this coastal part of Portugal. It is only about 1 hour 15 minutes drive north of Lisbon so is a popular weekend getaway for tourists and locals a like. This part of Portugal can be very crowded from May to about … [Read more...]
Exploring the Quaint and Colorful Colonial Town of El Quelite
El Quelite, a quaint town 25 miles northeast of Mazatlán is the perfect day trip for anyone interested in exploring an authentic Mexico experience. The small town sits on the bank of the river El Quelite and is known locally for practicing the pre-Hispanic game Ulama, which has important ritual aspects for the town and its native population. The main street in the village is lined with buildings of Spanish classical influence with red … [Read more...]
Another Beach. Another Bar. Another Bottle.
Another Beach. Another Bar. Another Bottle. Perhaps, but this place is a bit more special than that generic statement. The gentle lapping of the surf languidly caresses the golden sands of Pigeon Beach on the southern part of Antigua. I find myself here along with a few locals, a scattering of tourists and a few yachtie's who are anchored off shore. Along with the natural beauty of the bay and surrounding hillsides part of the attraction of a … [Read more...]
Three Reasons to Visit Bandung, Indonesia
In anticipation of my trip to Indonesia, I was told by the trip organizers that I wouldn’t be able to visit Borneo during my visit. Subsequently, I was disappointed - my first thoughts were purely selfish. I had long nurtured a dream of going to this 'ultimate jungle' to view orangutans in their native habitats. But then I started feeling a different level of sorrow: Borneo is burning! The forest is being destroyed, the animals are dying, … [Read more...]
Sark: Britain’s Lost Channel Island
'Welcome to Sark'- the sign read as I climbed the harbour steps onto the island. With rain lashing down, I ran through a short tunnel carved through the rock of the cliff- the only entrance to the island- and on the other side found a farming tractor, carriage in tow, parking up on the side of the road. 'There's the bus!' someone said, and everyone clambered on for the ride up the hill. This was Sark, an island of only a few square miles … [Read more...]
My Time Exploring Tunis, Tunisia
I did not think twice of going to Tunisia for holiday. But then I had to wade through the thick flotsam of fear about the warped realities of travel to Tunisia I encountered when I informed people I was going to this country. Ultimately this fear messed with my psyche and did so until I was on my final flight to Tunis when I finally was able to relax. But such was my luck the night I arrived - a suicide bomber killed himself and 12 other … [Read more...]
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