Thanks to its temperate climate and mile high altitude, Kunming is known to Chinese citizens as the city of eternal spring. Now numbering 7 million residents, it is a governmental and manufacturing center for the region. But in WWII, it was bustling with American and Allied pilots, the destination of most flights flying “The Hump”,… Read more »
I’ve always loved the Australian accent. Despite being perceived as descended from the Royal British dialect, it really comes from more modest beginnings and has its own distinctive pronunciation. This shouldn’t be a surprise as immigrants to Australia came from Ireland, Scotland, and different parts of England. Kel Richards has studied and interpreted the language’s… Read more »
Except for tea buyers, few visitors have discovered the remote Assam Valley of India, the country’s appendix in the far northeast corner surrounded by Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar. In this ancient state, layers of religious beliefs gradually revealed themselves as we moved through the state. The diversity of religions was not unexpected. With even a… Read more »
If I were to describe the experience of riding on an elephant in search of rhinos and tigers, where would you first guess I was traveling? Probably Africa with its plentiful wildlife safaris. But in truth, I was in the far northeast of India – the Assam Valley – at the Kaziranga National… Read more »
My initial copies have finally arrived but they were ordered before others. It was very exciting to finally hold a copy and I’m anxious for my friends to get their own copies. My publisher is as frustrated as I am with the slowness in delivery. Amazon orders seem to be prioritized with the delivery services… Read more »
It’s really happening! My book about my emotional journey to rediscover my flying father through retracing his WWII footsteps in India and China is close to publication. “Landing in My Present” is now available for pre-sale at my publisher’s website. You can also read the first 25 pages there. The price is discounted by 30%… Read more »
“I’m sure we will see some there,” Carol, our Australian friend, assured us. She was referring to Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island stretching 75 miles across, and to seeing Dingoes, Australia’s wild dogs that number around 200 on the island. These are considered some of the last of the “pure” Dingoes that had… Read more »
Apartment in Granada, Spain The explosion of new spaces for overnight stays has given travelers many more options. While the large hotel industry is not yet worried, local municipalities are starting to rethink how their hotel/motel tax is collected. They should. Over 30 million people have used Airbnb since it started six years ago. VRBO… Read more »
View from Lalibela Airport, Ethiopia On a beautiful, fall morning, our guide, Muchaw Derebe, picked us up for the thirty minute drive to the Lalibela Airport. Seven stops were made along the road to take pictures – of farmers using oxen to plow the fields, distinctive circular Orthodox churches, Chinese working on the roads, and… Read more »
View of Simien National Park from Plateau The approach to Simien National Park from Debark, Ethiopia on a newly constructed gravel road is, at first, one filled with jagged mountain tops and plateaus. But upon encountering the plunge into valleys below, only our Grand Canyon seems comparable. Created by massive erosion, the layers of mountains,… Read more »
Mary with statue of John Lennon in Havana, Cuba park
Mary riding camel in Jordan desert
Mary Surrounded by Hmong women selling their wares in Sapa, Vietnam
Mary on glacier in southern New Zealand