Raul
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Views of San Francisco from My Hotel
More Details: Views of San Francisco from My HotelOn my trip to San Francisco this week, I picked the Marriott Marquis on 4th and Mission as my hotel while I attended a conference in the city. It seemed well situated and nice, at least on the website photos. I did not miss with this property and you can read my review in TripAdvisor…
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Puerto Natales, Chile | Starting Point for the Torres del Paine
More Details: Puerto Natales, Chile | Starting Point for the Torres del PainePuerto Natales is an outpost town in Chile that is entry point to the Torres del Paine National Park. It is about 150 miles northwest of Punta Arenas and serves also as an entry point to the glaciers that kiss the water in this part of Patagonia (Grey, Serrano, Balmaceda, etc.). A small southern town…
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Finisterre: The End of Earth No More!
More Details: Finisterre: The End of Earth No More!A “short” 90-km walk from Santiago de Compostela, where the famous Camino (Way of St. James) ends, is Finisterre. Finisterre is a town but the more famous Finisterre is the cape that signifies “the end of earth.” Back when folks assumed this was the end of earth, hence the name. (Note: It is also known…
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The Art Institute of Chicago – A New Favorite
More Details: The Art Institute of Chicago – A New FavoriteChicago is many things but dull it isn’t. This city is rich in culture, architecture, outdoors fun (in the summer, at least!), food and many other things. I love coming to this city but have rarely been here on my own to explore. I have greatly enjoyed coming to Chicago with friends, whether to party…
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Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 5
More Details: Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 5After the fun of day 4 with all the wind and beautiful views of the lakes and the Torres del Paine, the big day finally arrived: no, not because it was the last day of hiking but because it was the day we were trekking up to the lagoon to see the peaks close and…
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Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 4
More Details: Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 4A windy night at Refugio Los Cuernos I woke up around 7 AM on day 4 after a night thinking the place we were staying at was going to blow away at any moment. On top of that, something right outside our window kept hitting the window on and off throughout the night (we discovered…
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#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou
More Details: #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYouRecently, the hashtag #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou has been trending on Twitter and for good reason. The world’s view of Africa is often a negative one, focused on violence, disease, and poverty. The hashtag was formed to show the world that this is not what Africa is all about, in fact there is so much beauty that is…
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Exploring Old Philadelphia – Liberty and Independence
More Details: Exploring Old Philadelphia – Liberty and IndependenceThis past January I traveled to Philadelphia to visit family. It was BITTERLY cold but that did not stop my uncle from taking me around. It had been a couple of decades since I had last seen Liberty Bell and my uncle told me the whole place had been re-done so off we went, from…
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Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 3
More Details: Trekking the W Circuit at the Torres del Paine: Day 3Day 3 started with me looking out the window from my room at Refugio Paine Grande to the tents that some slept in. It is incredibly hard to believe anyone could sleep in those with the high winds experienced. But, some did! It was a nice start to the day though it would not remain…
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Photo Essay: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
More Details: Photo Essay: Grand Teton National Park, WyomingMy friend Bruce T., an outdoorsman and all-around nice guy, is traveling around the Grand Teton National Park (in northwestern Wyoming) with his wife, Sonia, and had sent out a few pictures of the sights he has encountered. I have never been to the park and loved the landscape, wildlife, and color in his pictures. …
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Great Drive Series – Along the Columbia River in Oregon
More Details: Great Drive Series – Along the Columbia River in OregonOregon has been a place I have always been wanting to go. When the opportunity to go on a business trip to Portland arose, I was thrilled. Though I was not able to append a weekend on either end of the business trip to get to explore more, I did have a Sunday afternoon and…
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Hiking the Torres del Paine W Circuit | Patagonia Day 2
More Details: Hiking the Torres del Paine W Circuit | Patagonia Day 2After a successful day one in the Torres del Paine National Park, in southern Chile, we were ready to embark on day two. This day would have re-trace our route from day one in reverse to get us to Refugio Paine Grander where we would spend the night. It would be the only trail we…