India. The name evokes a range of reactions and emotions, from wondrous and magical to crowded, noisy, and poor. From my seven trips to the subcontinent, I can confirm that India exhibits both extremes. I’ve made my own peace with this dichotomy, allowing myself to experience the rich aspects of
“CRACK!!”—The sound stunned me as the left side of my body slammed into the boulder. I knew immediately that something had broken. I screamed. Our guide, Alex, tried to help me stand, but sharp pain shot through my leg. “I can’t walk!” I cried. He gently lowered me to the
Amsterdam Central Station is a ten-minute walk from Dam Square, the city’s center plaza. Built in 1889, the stately Gothic and Renaissance Revival structure suggests a medieval cathedral, according to civic architects. About 180,000 passengers daily rush through its doors and off to other destinations in the Netherlands and to
Our nineteen-day itinerary to visit Central Asia’s Stans countries proved to be the trip of a lifetime. Every day revealed new cultural experiences that amazed, thrilled, challenged and opened my eyes to an unknown world to me. Excuse the borrowed locational reference, but I felt I was living One Thousand
We scheduled our nineteen-day journey to the far-off lands of the fabled Silk Road countries in Central Asia six months before our departure with Bestway Tours and Safaris. But I always begin planning way before that, and this journey required more thoughtfulness about the possible destinations. Part of embarking on
With four-inch razor-sharp talons, she grasps the leather glove that covers the trainer’s hand and forearm. Her large, protruding eyes peer fiercely, as she swivels her head to survey the surrounding landscape in search of movement along the ground. Her prominent curved black beak ends in a sharp hook, useful
You’ll find it on lists of “The Oddest Places in the World to Visit.” The gigantic hole in the desert floor is on fire, and it’s been burning continuously since 1971. Measuring 200-230 feet in diameter and about 100 feet deep, the “Gates of Hell” presents a spectacular, supernatural scene
“You’re going where?!” the familiar question asked by friends and family about out planned nineteen-day trip to Central Asia. “The Stans. The Silk Road countries. You know, the land of Genghis Khan and Marco Polo,” we responded, followed by an attempt to paint a colorful image of this remote, fabled
“Island life.” What comes to mind when you hear those words? Warm climes, palm trees, sandy beaches, piña coladas, tropical sunsets? Two inhabited islands in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in U.S.’s temperate Mid-Atlantic coastal region turn those images upside down. Tangier Island, Virginia and Smith Island, Maryland sit
Traveling by train thrills me; I feel like I’m on an amusement park ride. On this track to Mount Koya, nature’s beauty and humanity’s creations stream by. I’m mesmerized by the unfamiliar sights, and my mind makes up stories about them. There’s a small village nestled among hills draped in