Raul
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A Unique Railroad Market in Thailand
More Details: A Unique Railroad Market in ThailandAs I was researching all that there was to do in Bangkok so I could narrow down the options to fit our time there, a friend who had spent a few weeks in Bangkok recently gave me an excellent pair of recommendations on what to do off-the-beaten path. Liz, my friend, suggested that she put…
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Bali – Getting There Is (or Isn’t) Half the Fun
More Details: Bali – Getting There Is (or Isn’t) Half the FunI arrived in Bali after a long journey that started in the U.S. (about 37 hours, to be more precise). The airfare to Asia was a steal at $750 from Chicago to Singapore round-trip with Delta, my main airline (so all the points counted towards status!), so after getting to Chicago and spending a couple…
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A Trip around Southeast Asia Is Born
More Details: A Trip around Southeast Asia Is BornThis month I was able to spend two weeks on vacation traveling to Southeast Asia. Clearly, two weeks far from enough time in an area as diverse and rich in experiences as Southeast Asia but if I waited until I had ALL the time it merits, I may never get started. An opportunity arose a…
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Top 7 Places to See When Visiting in Chile
More Details: Top 7 Places to See When Visiting in ChileHaving traveled a bit through Chile (though, admittedly, I missed some places I hear are worth exploring like Valdivia), I thought I’d share what I would recommend as a good itinerary for those with time (but not boundless time either). I will either expand on some of the items below in other entries or they…
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What to See in Iasi (Iaşi) | Cultural Capital of Romania
More Details: What to See in Iasi (Iaşi) | Cultural Capital of RomaniaAs I have been exploring Eastern Europe in recent years, I have begun realizing how much I enjoy visiting secondary towns in these countries (Krakow in Poland; Plovdiv in Bulgaria; Braşov in Romania; etc.). The capital cities are worth seeing but what I loosely refer to as secondary towns hold a charm that is different,…
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Reflection on My Dad’s Birthday
More Details: Reflection on My Dad’s BirthdayToday, my Dad would have turned 75 years old. He passed away years ago but it still seems surreal. We did not live close to each other and did not see each other with great regularity which lends his absence a feel that nothing has changed. But it has. While we may not have been…
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Hike to an Inn in North Georgia
More Details: Hike to an Inn in North GeorgiaIf you are a casual reader of this blog, you will know that I enjoy hiking near and far from my home. One of the “near” hikes on my list to check out was the hike to the Hike Inn in north Georgia. The Hike Inn can only be accessed by hiking to it hence…
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Great Drive Series – 17-Mile Drive in California
More Details: Great Drive Series – 17-Mile Drive in CaliforniaI have been to San Francisco once or twice for very short visits but have not gone further south than the airport – on this trip I would get to do the 17-mile drive near Monterey and see famous Pebble Beach. I coupled a short business trip to San Fran with a visit to friends…
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Best Views of Athens and the Acropolis
More Details: Best Views of Athens and the AcropolisAthens‘ Acropolis hill is well-known around the world as the home of the iconic Parthenon, a very unique architectural gem. However, sitting on the Acropolis has one small downside: you don’t get to see it whole. Enter, stage northeast, Lycabettus Hill. Located sort of north of Syntagama Square, its base is surrounded by a residential…
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Swayambhunath – A Special Place in Kathmandu
More Details: Swayambhunath – A Special Place in KathmanduKathmandu is an amazing city. Colorful and busy. Yet, somehow spirituality seems to permeate it. Among the many places that back that impression is the Swayambhunath site – also just known as the monkey site. I don’t know that it is technically a temple but it is certainly an important Buddhist religious site. Claims about…
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Volunteering at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
More Details: Volunteering at the 1996 Atlanta OlympicsI shared earlier, as a lead-in to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Atlanta Olympics, how I was involved as a college student in the efforts to win the rights to host the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Once again, though not exactly a travel topic, I use my blog to share my…
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In-and-Out: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO
More Details: In-and-Out: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, COI headed to Denver to see friends and as luck would have it, an afternoon in Estes Park was in the books for me. I would have about 3 hours to spend in Estes Park so I checked TripAdvisor for some quick ideas on what to see while there. I had driven through Estes Park…