During this sabbatical year in Asia, my husband, George, has inspired me to follow the road less traveled. Over the last seven weeks from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Mumbai (Bombay), we have spent nearly 130 hours on buses and trains traversing and learning about parts of the East and West coasts of India. During the 10- … Continued
It’s hard to imagine that twenty years ago, this thronging resort town was a windswept desert settlement, populated by nomadic Bedouin tribes and dominated by a vast, starred sky. The sky remains in Sharm El Sheikh and so do the Bedouin, but it takes a bit of digging to get past the tourist bars, entertainment … Continued
On our current tour of Egypt, some members of our group asked for home-baked cookies. We were sailing up the Nile aboard our private cruise ship, the Afandina, so I asked our chef to take care of it. Since individual requests happen often (everything from raw food to vegetarian to a personalized birthday cake) I … Continued
We’d reached the town of Wadi Halfa in the northern Sudan when a humid wind hit the overland truck. While traveling through the desert avoiding the impassable banks of the Nile, we were astonished when the breeze suddenly felt moist. I understood that Lake Nasser must be close. This body of water, created by the … Continued
I used to hang out at an open-air bar in downtown Athens. In 1976 the place was a travelers’ gathering point, a spot where people would gather in the warm summer evenings to swap tales tall and short about life on the road. One fine ouzo-soaked night I had the great good fortune to meet … Continued
First, a caveat. I’m in the travel business, and not the armchair, I’ll-book-your-trip-for-you type. I lead trips myself. Trips to Bali, where bombs killed tourists less than a decade ago; to Spain, where thousands rioted in the streets against austerity measures; to Egypt, where the recent US embassy attack marked the latest in a long … Continued
Far from the commercialism of Tunis City, in a forgotten quiet glade away from the crowds, several small statues forming Le Tophet rise from a dip in the earth. 1) Le Tophet: photo from Wikipedia These unassuming relics are virtually the only remnant of the great Phoenician civilization which had its capital at Carthage. … Continued
There is no reason to repeat the endless speculations about the pyramids of Giza that have circulated since the first visitors from Greece recorded their impressions 2000 years ago. The gigantic stone structures were built, and they exist still. These are the only two irrefutable facts. White stone originally encased the pyramids and they shined … Continued
1) Pyramid field near Jebel Barkal NOTE: All photos by Jack McGory except as noted An area in the Sudan used to exist that would have ranked as a premier destination beside Kathmandu Valley in the 1960s or perhaps Bhutan in the 1950s, had any traveler the audacity to report on the place. Where? … Continued
Thank you to Contiki Blog for a wonderful interview asking me TEN GREAT QUESTIONS including: When and where did you first travel by yourself, and why did you choose that particular destination? Will you be shocked to know it was ARIZONA! Which destinations are you consistently drawn to, and why? (Places you’ll always come back … Continued