And there he was. The most interesting man in the world. Better yet, he was the encapsulation of the advertised Dos Equis man: someone who bathed with piranhas, dodged bullets, drank gasoline, and combed his …
October 7, 2010
Go Abroad!
Cartagena: The Most Interesting Man in the World
Goias, Brazil: NEX Wildcat Refuge
“They tried to make me go to rehab: I said meow, meow, meow…” Here's a cure for the common Hollywood rehab story: Deep in the Brazilian cerrado lies a rehabilitation center for eight species of …
October 3, 2010
Flashy Shanghai, China
Shanghai is an exciting place to visit and live – it’s essentially the New York City of China, where East meets West. It boasts not only one of the most vibrant economic centers, but also …
October 3, 2010
Skansen: Old Sweden in Stockholm
When visiting Stockholm, a must-see stop is the historical district known as Skansen. A trip to Skansen is like stepping into a time machine and being transported to a Sweden of centuries past. The world’s …
September 21, 2010
Serenity (at Last) in San Gil, Colombia
The seven-hour bus ride through the sticky night to a city called San Gil, Colombia, made the Matterhorn at Disneyland seem like training wheels: roller-coaster-like turns followed by potholes in the road the size of …
September 17, 2010
Turtle Watching in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
On our first night at Pelican Eyes Hotel, my mom penciled us in for a midnight adventure tour to see turtles nesting on a beach one hour north of San Juan del Sur (near Playa …
Experiencing an Asado: Uruguay
Family and friends sit at an unassuming backyard table. Beer and wine are imbibed under the summer sun. Comfortable conversations, the family dog lazily looking for attention, and an appetizing smell own the scene. It’s …
August 28, 2010
Two poems by Blaga Dimitrova
Ars Poetica Write each of your poems as if it were your last. In this century, saturated with strontium, charged with terrorism, flying with supersonic speed, death comes with terrifying suddenness. Send each of your …
Brasília, Brazil: A Swimming Pool Experience
My wife and I have worked at an American school in Brazil for a year. Before this, we worked at an international school in Colombia. The following is, by no stretch of the imagination, my …
August 15, 2010
Brazil Last
I’m scouting the Other Side, which is the portion of Abadiânia that lies south of the highway that bisects the town. The Casa (John of God’s healing center) and its service industry are on one …
August 11, 2010
Another Side of Koh Phangan, Thailand
You’ve probably heard of all the wonders Thailand has to offer. Exquisite beauty, adventure, rich culture, friendly people. And you may have heard of Koh Phangan, a tiny island off Thailand’s east coast in the …
August 8, 2010
Poor but Snappy in Buenos Aires
Few disagree that Buenos Aires is one of the top urban destinations in South America – and it is, arguably, among the top budget destinations in the world. My wife and I stayed in two …
August 5, 2010
Walk-Thru Healer
Picking up from last week. Tai Chi Teacher, Her Spouse, Their Friend, and I made our flight on the second try. We caught up with our baggage in Chicago, changed planes, and endured the long …
August 4, 2010
Mont Saint-Michel, France
The road was built only recently. For over a thousand years, visitors to the city of Mont Saint-Michel had to travel by boat, or wait till low tide and walk across from the mainland. The …
Semana Santa in Popayán, Colombia
The heart of Popayán, Colombia, is a small colonial downtown dating back over 500 years. Everything is painted white. Traffic signals are unheard of. A church is visible from any given point and the streets …
July 24, 2010