Searching for Margaritaville in Key West, Florida
The bright orange ball is sinking fast as the darkening ocean rushes to meet it. But the crowd at Mallory Square is torn between snapping photos of the stunning sunset and the distractions around the square. Escape artists, stilt walkers, musicians and magicians vie for Continue Reading →
The importance of pomelos in Mango Bay, Vietnam
A platoon of small boats chugs out past the bay for the night’s fishing as the sun takes a bow along the crimson horizon. We can hear the men and boys calling to each other as they chart their course further from shore, into the Continue Reading →
Handle with Care – a dream takes flight
“We’re not going to make it,” I whisper to myself, but I could have shouted it and still not been heard above the din of the engines. The little tin can with wings that we’re crammed into is struggling to gain enough speed to lift Continue Reading →
Squadron Spirit, by Norman Best
With Hallowe’en just around the corner, this story from my dad’s days as an airman in World War II seems perfect for the occasion. He told us this tale (which he swore was true) many times over the years, and it never failed to entertain Continue Reading →
Par for the course at Lost City, S.A. – by Chris Yardley
My recent post about encountering a fer de lance in Costa Rica reminded one reader of a similar experience. A fun story and a cautionary tale! Black Mamba. Even if you’re not sure what it is, the name itself conjures up feelings of dread… or… a Continue Reading →
Jamaica flip side
“So, you’ve come for the races?” Richie asks. We’re bumping along the pot-holed strewn road heading south from Montego Bay to Little Bay. The village of Little Bay is what Negril was before fame, fortune and the entrapments of tourism development transformed it into another Continue Reading →
Life among the wild things in Costa Rica
It’s the lazy hour here at Bosque del Rio Tigre. Geckos scurry across the path and rustle into the nearby foliage. Somewhere a bee buzzes. The day shift of cheery bird songs and chatter has yet to change over to the deafening high-pitched surround sound Continue Reading →
The value of a lira in Istanbul
From one hand, I’m taking bites of my cheese simit, and from the other, I’m spilling out my purchases from the spice market onto the kitchen table. Jon, my partner in love, life and travel, is impressed. Saffron, chili, cinnamon, strong Turkish coffee beans, among the aromatic Continue Reading →
Turkish delight
It’s a hot, dusty day in Istanbul. So it’s busy here at the Karakoy ferry ticket office, with throngs of people looking to escape the city for the day. In Istanbul, ferries run like buses, plying the Bosphorus in all directions. Workers cross from the Continue Reading →
Romance, Carriacou style
I’m watching Snagg, waiting to see his face relax, waiting for a sign that everything’s okay. As if on queue, another wave comes crashing over the bow, drenching our little party of four as we rock wildly and bounce hard as the boat drops into Continue Reading →