Upon finalizing my flights to South Africa from Bangkok, I told a good friend who has traveled extensively in Africa that I would kiss the African soil for him. He replied, "Kiss Africa's ground for me, but remember: Africa always wins. No matter how much you try to make sense of all the nonsense, it'll never make sense. Thus Africa wins." Winning or not, the unpredictability of adventure travel in Sub Saharan Africa has always appealed to me … [Read more...]
Fishing Time
Every year around this time the villagers drain one of the local ponds into an adjoining rice field. This takes all night - a couple guys stay up all night with the pump. Then in the very early morning about 15 people gather at the banks for a mud infused assault on the fish. This is not clean work - they jump into the mud, sinking up to their waists and crawl around with small nets and buckets collecting all the fish. By mid morning its … [Read more...]
Rolf Potts: Travel Writer & Journalist
Rolf has built up an impressive resume during his travel writing career. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books and numerous travel related essays. Late last year he set out on a "No Baggage Challenge" Round the World Trip in which the only items he carried were what fit in his pockets. Recently we had a chance to ask Rolf about both his career, travel writing and recent projects. Q. For those interested in pursuing travel … [Read more...]
Squid on the Floor
At sunrise the buzz of motorbike traffic has not yet begun, and the street is oddly quiet. We come out of the alley and onto the sidewalk where shop owners are opening up and iced coffee vendors await their first customers. We're out here at this hour waiting for a van, which soon arrives. The four of us shove our bags in the back and groggily climb in. The previous afternoon we booked a Halong Bay tour from one of the hundreds of vendors in … [Read more...]
The Lovely Inishowen Peninsula and More
As our plane dipped down below the mist, patchwork fields of green came into view. Then we went in for the landing in Belfast and could see sheep in a nearby pasture. This was hard to explain, but I felt like I was entering into an ancient homeland. Maybe because my family had distant Irish ancestry. My sister-in-law met my mother, sister and I and we went by car to the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal along the coast to Moville. The … [Read more...]
Vanuatu: One of the World’s Remaining Paradises
When you think of a romantic island vacation, what do you imagine? Basking away peaceful days in the sun, just you and your special someone? Stealing away to hidden beaches where you frolic in the waves like children, uninterrupted by human life? Sipping a drink in your beach chair with a view over your feet that could easily be the setting for a Corona commercial? Picturesque, pristine, and private- this is the dream setting for couples … [Read more...]
San Juan Sailor
Cold rain and a fierce north wind whipped my face. I tightened my hood, careful to keep one hand on the Zodiac's helm. I knew almost nothing about sailing, but here I was, at the wheel of a 127-foot vintage wooden schooner in a driving rainstorm, all four sails catching the wind. Twenty-three wannnabe sailors and I had been told this would be a working trip, but I never thought I'd actually be piloting the ship, especially on a day like this. … [Read more...]
The Swedish Swan Incident
"Shriek, inte. Shriek, inte." In her panic, Lisa resorted to Swedish. I tried to stop shouting, but my fear flew out of my mouth in a high-pitched scream. The flap of large white wings threatened boat upheaval. We clung to our paddles. "Why the heck did I come to Sweden, anyhow?" I thought. "I might die here today." *** When I filled out the exchange student profile, I checked the box for 'no pets'. Smoking - heck yeah, I'll inhale … [Read more...]
Island Escape, Roxy Maldives Resort
A stay on a private island in the middle of the Maldives can make the rest of the world seem mundane, pedestrian in comparison. Such is the case of Roxy Maldives Resort (formerly Zitahli Resort & Spa Kuda-Funafaru) on its own private island in the heart of the Noonu Atoll, accessible via a 50 minute seaplane ride from Male (the capital city of the Maldives). The "welcome pier" at Roxy Maldives "Remote" Maldivian resorts such as these … [Read more...]
Canada Experience Part 1: Entering British Columbia and Victoria
It was the summer of 2010 and we wanted to escape our city life in Austin, Texas and visit the Pacific Northwest. We had ten days off and decided to drive from Texas, to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (3000+ mile car trip). We had just bought a new VW and thought it would be fun to drive it across country and have an adventure along the way (and, boy did we ever)! We entered BC the "round-about" way by ferry from the NAS base on … [Read more...]
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