The west has some amazing parks and the diversification is mind blowing. In 1872 when Ulysses S Grant declared Yellowstone as America’s first National Park, the nation preserved a treasure. Containing the majority of the world’s geysers, Yellowstone is a massive park and a one stop destination for exploration. Ask potential first time visitors what they … Continued
What comes to mind when you think of Portugal? Cathedrals? Historic sites? Sixteenth Century explorers? Former colonies in Asia? Lethal jellyfish? How about some of the best hiking in the world. This past October, my wife Katherine and I hiked the Algarve, Costa Vicentina and Alentejo regions in SW Portugal. For the first four days … Continued
With barely a sound the 160 kilo/ 350 pound gorilla walked right in front of me on the jungle hill side. Mountain gorillas only exist in high terrains of south western Uganda and neighboring Congo and Rwanda. For some, having the opportunity to hike to a family of mountain gorillas is the trip of a … Continued
Does sipping on a cool cocktail on a nearly deserted, pure white sand beach with a turquoise blue ocean in front of you sound like a bucket list item? If so, a Barbados Holiday is a great item to scratch off of your to-do-list. Located just east of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea, … Continued
We arrived to El Chalten after midnight tired, hungry and having to set up our tent in the dark with a strong wind. Our bus broke down twice en route and we got into town hours past when we were supposed to. Too tired to make any dinner, we crawled into our tent and slept … Continued
The karst landscape of Gunung Mulu was inscribed in 2000 as Malaysia’s second UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. Among many natural sites already present in the prestigious list, Gunung Mulu easily stands out as it is one of the few that is inscribed on all four natural criteria set by the World Heritage Committee. These are: 1. it being an outstanding specimen … Continued
Forget the usual honeymoon destinations; Mexico, Hawaii, Italy, France or Spain. If you want true luxury, a place that none of your friends have been and a place you will never forget, think Mauritius. Over a century ago, writer Mark Twain said, “Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after … Continued
After the threat of winter weather passes, and the pressures of life hit hard, one place lures me like a fly to a spider web – the North Carolina mountains. I can stop whatever I’m doing and head for the hills in a heartbeat. And with no regrets. Nothing relaxes me more than the tranquility … Continued
Although I’m sure that for some people there is one place that comes to mind when they think about where they would wish to spend their time, that statement simply isn’t true for me. There are far too many incredible sights to see even in our small corner of the world. For now I spend … Continued
As we traveled around Italy on our honeymoon, one of the places my husband and I planned to visit was Cinque Terre, a collection of five tiny villages along Italy’s west coast. We heard about Cinque Terre from my sister who studied in Italy during college. She loved her visit there and told us we … Continued