I must have picked up about 15 people today with my self titled new job on the island, "Dave's Dominica Taxi service". Getting around from place to place is dependent on the generosity of drivers - and this hitch hiking seems like an easy and cheap way to see the island. With bridges still out or damaged from the tropical storm in 2015 - one of the main roads was closed leaving a smaller road through the rainforest as the alternative way to get … [Read more...]
Escaping to La Brenne National Parc, France
Sipping my coffee by the lake, I could just make out a tiny dark speck in the water. Eagerly grabbing my friend’s binoculars I trained them onto the black dot, and as it slowly came into focus, resembling a small beaver with a rat like tail, I realised that I was looking at a coypu… We were in La Brenne National Parc, in the Indres Department of Central France, named after the river Indre that flows through the region. Seeking a taste of rural … [Read more...]
Peru’s Inca Heartland: An Experiential Vacation With Kuoda Travel
I’m in a remote Peruvian village in the Sacred Valley, deep in the heart of the Inca world. Surrounded by mist-shrouded mountains and cobalt blue lakes, agrarian rhythms define life here, just as they have for centuries. I feel as far off the beaten track as I can possibly get. I’m spending the afternoon with the women of the village. Traditionally dressed with their long black hair in precise plaits, it’s as if time has stood still. They … [Read more...]
Elephants in Indonesia
When I was a kid I did not want to get a dog or a kitten. I did not even want toys for presents! Everybody was surprised by my wish because I expressed it from very small age and everyone was wondering why. I wanted to see how it does it feel to be next to the most gigantic animal on the planet. How does it feel to watch it walking, eating, and taking care of its children? I wanted to see an elephant. My wish grew bigger as the year was … [Read more...]
My Thoughts on Cruising
I've been on a number of cruises over the years from a wine-centric river cruise in Bordeaux France, to an adventure cruise in Antarctica to a more relaxing tropical cruise in the Caribbean. However one cruise that has eluded me to date is a cruise around the world. I remember as a young child visiting with my grandparents at one of our local ports - just before they were set to embark around the world on a several month trip of a lifetime, … [Read more...]
Spring Skiing at Valle Nevado in Chile
The Mountain As the ski lift reached the mountain top, I released my white knuckled grip on the J-bar and slid forward toward the majestic snow capped Andean peaks looming large in the distance. It was spring in South America and the backside of the mountain, was nearly empty, inhabited only by myself and the occasional lift operator. The resort was visible as a spec in the distance beyond the lift I had just exited, and a mountain vista of … [Read more...]
A Remington and a Volvo
At 9, I thought it was crazy. My dad was going to squeeze Mom and all six of us kids into a boxy, top heavy, narrow Volvo station wagon, and we were going to drive for three months from our home in Paraguay to Kansas where my father grew up. This trip had been his dream since coming to Paraguay in 1951 to found and manage a Mennonite leprosy mission. “Is there really a road that goes all the way from Paraguay to the States?” I asked. Dad … [Read more...]
Puebla – City of Angels
Mexico City. Acapulco. Puerta Vallarta. Cancun. If you're like most people, these are the Mexican cities you are familiar with. However, Puebla, or La Puebla de los Angeles (“the city of the angels,”) is the most beautiful Mexican city that you've likely never heard of. Only a couple of hours from Mexico City, I first visited it during a backpacking trip in 2005, more by coincidence than by design, and was astounded by one of the most remarkable … [Read more...]
How to Spend a Few Days in Dominica
Dominica is ideal for the independent traveler looking to getaway from crowds, to bond with nature, and to explore the country on his or her own. Aptly called "the nature isle" when one visits the country, one soon understands this description. First of all, there are not a lot of people who live in the country, some 72,000 by the last count, so it never feels crowded, the island is full of rivers, waterfalls, some freshwater lakes and dense at … [Read more...]
Quito, Ecuador – January 2017
Quito is the highest capital city in the world (approximately 2800 meters) and earned one of the first UNESCO World Heritage designations in 1978. It is a bustling city spread out between valleys and sprawls partway up the massive mountains that surround it. While the Galapagos Islands garner much of the attention of tourists - a visit to Quito offers a variety of attractions both in and outside the city. Setup "home base" in the lively La … [Read more...]
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