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
Travel Stories
Panama City, Panama
Hsi Lai Temple, Hacienda Heights, California
Visiting the Hsi Lai Temple, nestled in the hills of Hacienda Heights, I felt as though I was transported back in time and to another world. Spread out over 15 acres, the temple grounds are …
March 3, 2010
River Hiking in Dominica
One by one, our group of eight slipped into the cool rushing water of Dominica’s Dublanc River. Cool and invigorating, the water rushed by us like soft jets from a Jacuzzi. After a 45-minute trek …
A Visit to Macedonia
Macedonia, a small southeastern European country of roughly two million inhabitants and formerly part of Yugoslavia, is a fairly exotic destination sure to impress art, nature and history lovers. Located on the beautiful Sar Mountain …
March 1, 2010
San Blas Islands, Panama
San Blas is an archipelago of 378 smallish islands, home of the indigenous Kuna people, who were driven from the mainland during the Spanish invasion hundreds of years ago. In 1925 the Kuna fought Panama …
February 26, 2010
Springtime in the Desert: Borrego Springs
I think of Borrego Springs as Baja Palm Springs – all the heat without the glitz – and it’s more fun getting to. I love a Sunday drive down County Road S22 into the valley …
February 26, 2010
Morro Bay, California
“The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might... ‘O, Oysters, come and walk with us!’ The Walrus did beseech. ‘A Pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, Along the briny beach...’” – from …
February 23, 2010
Puerto Montt, Chile: Fresh Seafood
Flapping fish tails, coiled seaweed, barnacles and octopus fresh from the Chilean coastal town of Puerto Montt will soon become part of our gastronomical lunch. At the southern end of the Pan American Highway – …
February 23, 2010
International New York: Ellis Island and the United Nations
Is New York City the center of the universe? Perhaps at least the multicultural capital of the world? There’s no lack of people who believe this, and you may be one of them after visiting …
El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
To see the sights of the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, start by driving on a winding, mountainous road through the lush greenery known as El Yunque in Puerto Rico. If …
February 22, 2010
Carnaval in Barranquilla, Colombia
It is difficult to relate the absolute hysteria of Carnaval in Barranquilla. Most nations couldn't handle an equal event without soon collapsing into a frenzied state of all-out warfare. But Barranquilla does it, and does …
February 20, 2010