How on earth do you cover one billion people and more than five thousand years of history in one short article? I am afraid I won't be able to answer that question in regard to writing something about India. I can do no more than give you my week's worth of roaming about in northern India, a country which I found as diverse as it is huge and old. Just to get primed for the speed at which life proceeds in much of this country, our train to … [Read more...]
Fjord Water isn’t Salty….Impressions of Scandanavia
I hadn't been in Sweden for one hour and I found myself sitting in the back of a police van, bicycle and all. Now, I am normally not that much of an outlaw but this time I had decided to buck all Swedish rules against riding on the freeway, when I got picked up by one of the cops. It turned out that Stockholm's international airport was a good forty five kilometers from the city itself, a perfect distance to put my airplane cramped legs to good … [Read more...]
Staying in Sydney Hotels on a Shoestring Budget
As a result of hosting the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney has become known worldwide as one of the most beautiful and friendly cities in the world with it's Sydney Opera House on the harbor, it's beautiful coastline, and the many great places to stay. Perhaps you've finally set aside time for your dream vacation in the oldest city in Australia, or maybe you have a marketing business trip scheduled for your newly formed company, and your first stop … [Read more...]
India on the Rails
If life is a journey than, in India at least, it chugs along on two parallel steel lines, the railways. No reference here to the local trains of Mumbai, India's commercial capital, where citizens spend a substantial portion of their waking hours commuting increasing distances within ever expanding city-limits. This one is grand - a vast rail network criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country, spanning over plains and rivers, through … [Read more...]
Siberia, Russia – Here I Come!
"You must really hate this job." That's what my boss said when I told him I was moving from San Diego to Siberia for a year. In reality, I was bored and looking for something that would be completely and utterly new. Whether it was sunstroke or a developing tolerance to margaritas, San Diego just wasn't cutting it anymore. Heck, I hadn't even gone to the beach in nine months and it was only a few blocks away. Time to rediscover a zest for life. … [Read more...]
Zimbabwe & Zambia: The Zim and Zam of Victoria Falls
Dear Friends, "I can't leave this place. Africa is in my heart'I love the unpredictability here; today we have food, tomorrow we might not". These were the musings of Ivor, a white Zimbabwean grocery store owner we met in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Ivor was one of the few white Zimbabwe citizens left after the country's strong-man president Robert Mugabe changed the constitution to allow himself unlimited terms and, in 2000, instituted a series of … [Read more...]
Istanbul, Turkey
Pelin Ayan is our long time Social Media Director - she also lives in Istanbul and has these recommendations (PDF file) for 3 days in the capital city. Turkiye in the winter can be cold, very cold. However the cold and the largest snow storm in over 50 years did not stop me from spending as much time hopping from one tourist attraction to the next. Over a foot and a half of snow fell in Istanbul the week I was there, and western Turkey is … [Read more...]
Angkor Wat, Cambodia – Land Mine Museum
Land Mines are still a huge problem in Cambodia. The main paved/dirt road from the Thai/Cambodia border town of Poipet is well marked with signs on both sides of the road indicating that it is very dangerous to walk off the road. Over 100 people each month in Cambodia are maimed or killed by stepping on unexploded land mines. The Land Mine Museum is well worth visiting - it is sobering, sad and educational at the same time. It is located not far … [Read more...]
Morocco – Transportation
Ship to Tangiers - several ferry services cross the Straight of Gibralter from Spain to Morocco or to Ceuta which is a small part of Spain on the African continent surrounded by Moroccan land. The most common departure point is from Algeciras to Tangier. Several ferry services operate this route - a ferry leaves every 90 minutes between 7am and 10pm - and during the very high season usually in mid summer - the ferrys run 24/7. The cost is … [Read more...]
Key West, FL – Attractions
Audubon House & Gardens is located at 205 Whitehead Street. Phone 305 294-2116. This house was the home of a 19th century Key West Settler named Captain John H. Geiger. This building was restored in 1960. The reason it is named the Audubon House is because Mr. Audubon the naturalist visited Key West in 1832. Special exhibitions are shown in the second floor gallery. Be sure to tour the gardens where exotic plants are growing. The Audubon house … [Read more...]