Travel Journal
Relaying the experience of a journey…
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Images of Another Northern Town – Husavik
More Details: Images of Another Northern Town – HusavikHusavik is certainly not the most visited spot in Iceland as many tourists tend to stick to Reykjavik, the South Shore and the Golden Circle and Husavik lies well in the north. But, when I visited Iceland last year, we had opted to spend three days in Akureyri, much closer to Husavik. That was such…
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Building a School in Kumari, Nepal
More Details: Building a School in Kumari, NepalPrior to my trek in the Himalayas along the route to Everest Base Camp, I spent 3 days in the village of Kumari, Nepal thanks to Trekking for Kids‘ work to support this village. The village, as many places in Nepal, was severely impacted by the April 2015 earthquake that struck the country. The recently-built…
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Flying into Dangerous Lukla Airport in Nepal
More Details: Flying into Dangerous Lukla Airport in NepalI recall seeing a few years ago a TV show about the world’s ten most dangerous airports. Tegucigalpa, St. Maarten and a few others made the list. And so did Lukla, Nepal. Lukla is the typical starting point for anyone trekking along the route to Everest Base Camp, or to other points in the Himalayas.…
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The Carmel Mission: Quiet and Beautiful
More Details: The Carmel Mission: Quiet and BeautifulDuring a recent business trip to San Francisco, I made a visit of a few days to friends who live near Campbell, CA. I took the Caltrain down to San Jose – an easy and relatively cheap (at around $9 one-way) way to get out of San Fran towards Silicon Valley. While their kids went…
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Exploring Chile’s Glaciers by Boat Tour
More Details: Exploring Chile’s Glaciers by Boat TourOne of the highlights of visiting Chile’s Patagonia is seeing the many glaciers in the area – what an incredible sight! Some of the glaciers can be hiked, like the Grey Glacier (something I did in a trip a few years later when I hike the W circuit around Torres del Paine). Other glaciers one can…
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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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#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…