It was a crisp, clear morning. A cool breeze was blowing as the piercing blue of the sky was punctuated by fluffy white clouds. An elder man in red and saffron robes led us down a rocky riverbed to a spot where the river water circulated in an unusual counter-clockwise motion, a significant direction thought [...]
Imagine if one day your parents turned to you and said: “We’re getting married tomorrow…at a Buddhist temple.” Now imagine that you’re in Thailand when they said that… Welcome to my life! Let me explain…my parents have always been a wee bit non traditional. That resulted in quite a unique upbringing for myself, going way [...]
Spotting the King of Bhutan is not as difficult as you may think. It already happened to us once in our short time here, as one of our earliest moments in Bhutan was watching his majesty make a grand exit from the Paro Festival. A man of the people, he crisscrosses his kingdom making public [...]
Ah, Bhutan. Its mere name evokes visions of a far-off “Shangri-La.” A Himalayan kingdom steeped in customs, where traditional dress is the norm and mystical rituals are alive and well. A land where monasteries are perched on cliffs and the King might just come up and shake your hand. Ever since my family and I [...]
History is everywhere in the Middle East. Throughout the “Cradle of Civilization” lie remnants of many millennia of human activity, stuffed right into the hustle and bustle of modern-day life. I saw bits of this in Istanbul, with its Roman ruins and massive mosques, dating back centuries, but even that is small potatoes in this [...]
I have a confession to make. Something I’ve been wanting to tell you about for a real long time… Okay, here goes… I am in love with Merino wool. Phew! Glad that’s off my chest. And right now, you may be thinking, “Merino wool? That’s a funny thing to be in love with.” Yes, I [...]
The world is a complicated place. There are countless people just like you and me who live under brutal, autocratic regimes who do not enjoy the same freedoms that those of us in the west enjoy. And with that in mind, I have to ask… Can travel be unethical? Yes. At least in my opinion. [...]
You know, it’s on days like this that I just can’t believe how fast time passes. A year ago today, I sat in my apartment in New York City, one of the few weeks I’d spend at home in 2012. Today, I sit in an apartment in beautiful (and warm!) Florida, only the latest in [...]
I’ve spent a lot of time in hotels. In fact, considering how much traveling I’ve done in the past 15 months, I’ve become a bit of a nitpicky guest. Few things standout. Outlet and TV placements become big deals. And lobbies are usually forgotten, sterile areas (which sometimes include parrots, but that’s another story). However, [...]
Israel is big on security. Think about it and you’ll totally get why. It’s something that is nearly impossible to miss on a daily basis. They’re also fairly notorious for their rather difficult border crossings, particularly if you have one of many potential “suspect” stamps, primarily from any Arab country. After 6 weeks in the [...]
1 year, 8 countries. 9 U.S. States, plus the District of Columbia. 31 flight segments. 2012 certainly has been the “Year of Travel” for me! I spent 165 days away from home in 2012, spending nearly 6 months on the road as I traversed over 40,000 miles (or 70,000 km)! Let’s take a look at [...]
