While the rest of the world was going gaga (not Lady Gaga) over the movie The Avengers, I was busy playing the part of superhero for some kids in a village in Vietnam. The town …
August 14, 2012
Travel Stories
I Am a Superhero in Kon Tum, Vietnam
Close Encounters in CA's High Desert
I may have had some lunatic notions in my day, but I can assure you that none of them have been implanted or otherwise suggested by extraterrestrials. Not a one. George Van Tassel, however, can’t …
August 11, 2012
Cahuita: Caribbean Costa Rica
I gave the taxi driver a $20. He looked at me in disappointment. I'd arrived in Cahuita, Costa Rica, poorer than I’d expected. Having to chase a bus down with a taxi from Limón put …
August 9, 2012
Go Hiking in Hong Kong
The breathtaking skyline of Hong Kong ranks in the top five of the world's most stunning cityscapes. Hop onto a 23-minute train ride from the airport to Hong Kong station, and from there take a …
Frequent Liar
We had been sitting on the tarmac in Boston for 30 minutes, ostensibly “waiting for catering.” The flight attendants were making their final rounds when the thunderstorm rolled in. By the time the dark cell …
August 8, 2012
Tijuana Revisited, Part 1
“I’m an idiot,” is the thought hovering in my mind as I relax on a Blue Line trolley headed to Tijuana. This news flash isn’t about safety concerns, as I’ve spent some time in Mexico …
August 7, 2012
MONA: World's Most Unconventional Museum
It just opened on January 21, 2011, and already it's the most talked-about museum in the world. And who could have guessed? David Walsh, the eccentric pro gambler and millionaire founder of MONA, or the …
August 7, 2012
A Different Kind of Honeymoon
After spending a week running around the island of Borneo, including stops in traditional villages of Sabah, Malaysia, and the primary rainforests of Brunei, we arrived in the capital of Indonesia at 3 a.m. Waking, …
August 7, 2012
San Juan Capistrano: A SoCal Treasure
Just 61 miles north of San Diego up the 5 Freeway, San Juan Capistrano is one of the truly historic sites of Southern California. The town is probably best known for the swallows that return …
August 2, 2012
Into the Czech Beer Abyss...
A dark, ominous hallway leads to a door. Silence. Not a sound. I open the door to find a series of steep wooden stairs spiraling downward. Is this a trap? My mind starts to wander. …
July 31, 2012
At the World’s End: Centralia, the Burning Town
In May 1962, an ill-advised trash fire set light to the veins of coal running beneath the small mining town of Centralia, PA, and sparked a dangerous inferno that has raged ever since. Despite various …
July 30, 2012