Despite entertainment-media archetypes, the province of Transylvania (located in northwestern Romania) is actually an idyllic, totally not-creepy part of the world. Transylvania means “across the forest” in Latin, and the heavily forested region is dotted …
Go Abroad!
Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania
An Elephant’s Eye: Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka
I’d been in Sri Lanka for a week, and now a couple of friends and I are driving through the interior of the island nation. The road’s edge is lined with a string-wire fence standing …
April 30, 2010
Modern Meets Traditional: Xiamen Island, China
Pronounced Shaw-man, Xiamen is China’s up-and-coming Hong Kong. At least, that’s what they’re aiming for on this quickly modernizing tropical Chinese island. Xiamen is a strange mix of traditional architecture and culture and evolving modern …
Mount Huang, Anhui Province, China
Having two weeks to kill in China, my group of friends and I decided to brave a train/backpacking trip from Shanghai to Huangshan National Park in Anhui province. We took an overnight regional train (about …
April 19, 2010
Go Slow: Caye Caulker, Belize
Caye Caulker is a sleepy backwater island nestled between the Belize coast and Belize Barrier Reef. With warm waters, cool breezes and friendly locals, it’s a little slice of Caribbean paradise – too small to …
April 10, 2010
Ushuaia, Argentina: the End of the World
Paddling and swimming in the cool waters, the white tuxedoed chests of the Gentoo and Magellan penguins are at home near the southernmost part of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. The capital of Argentina’s Tierra del …
April 5, 2010
Delphi: Sanctuary of the Ancient Greeks
In the shadow of Mount Parnassus amid olive, pine and cypress trees stands one of the truly sacred spots of the ancient world. About 2,000 feet above sea level, Delphi is one of the best …
April 3, 2010
The French Riviera: Nice, Èze and Monte-Carlo
Discover for yourself the many faces of Monte-Carlo and the surrounding French Riviera. On the way to break the bank in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, lovers of modern art will want to spend time in nearby Nice …
March 31, 2010
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
I rolled into Santa Teresa early in the afternoon. The sun beamed down its scathing agenda, burning my tender gringo flesh. Cars and motorbikes threw a lingering cloud of dust from the bumpy dirt road …
Rome (in a Day)
“I love it here but after a while we get a little tired of seeing all these naked statues,” a Midwest couple confided to me about their first trip to Rome. I had already decided …
March 24, 2010
Ticket to Tel Aviv
Democratic congressman Bob Filner spent a week in Israel last month courtesy of a tax-exempt group run by J Street, an advocacy organization that casts itself as a liberal alternative to the American Israel Public …
March 17, 2010
Heaven on Earth: Gimmelwald, Switzerland
After traveling around Europe for three months, the one place I keep telling myself I need to return to is Gimmelwald, Switzerland. Located high in the Swiss Alps, this town of approximately 130 residents is …
March 17, 2010
Pura Vida in Palmar Norte, Costa Rica
I found a cheap room in Palmar Norte and shambled into a soda (cheap Costa Rican eatery) across the street. I had just bicycled about forty miles and could have salted three pounds of pork …
Carnaval Is Not Over in Montevideo, Uruguay
So we’ve heard about some famous worldly Carnavals, and we all know Mardi Gras in New Orleans. But how about Uruguay’s festivities? Would you guess that they showcase the longest Carnaval in the world? While …
March 9, 2010
Panama City, Panama
Panama City was exactly as I’d pictured it – all white, dense, oozing history. I took it as a good omen, like forgotten faces from a dream, as we wandered the crumbling edifices of Casco …
March 3, 2010