Monthly Archives: May 2016

Introduction To Travel In Eritrea

By |2021-04-14T21:30:34-05:00May 31st, 2016|Categories: Advice, Africa, Off The Beaten Path|Tags: , , , , , |

Introduction To Travel In Eritrea I shuffled up to the counter.  I was hungry. “Can I please have spaghetti with tomato sauce?” I inquired.  I had been given a hamburger for dinner, but I had no intention of eating it.  It was swamped in mayonnaise. A big no-no for me.  And to be honest the meat [...]

Eritrean Train

By |2021-04-14T21:35:51-05:00May 31st, 2016|Categories: Africa, Unique Experiences|Tags: , , , , , |

Eritrean Train.  Dots of coal soot polka-dotted my shirt.  Droplets of water gently graced my face and arms like a rainbow butterfly-kissing a unicorn.  The whistle shrieked and I temporarily covered my ears.  My body pressed against the railing on the platform, and I marveled in the presence of the steam engine of the Eritrean railway. [...]

Rila Monastery – Must-See

By |2021-04-12T16:44:11-05:00May 22nd, 2016|Categories: Europe, Must-See|Tags: , , , , , |

Rila Monastery – Must-See.  As the world becomes smaller, and all apparent information seems to be accessible in a nano-second over the World Wide Web, it becomes more difficult to become wowed when traveling.  I recently had a great surprise when visiting Rila Monastery.  I knew when perusing Lonely Planet, that Rila Monastery was a must-see. [...]

Top Things To Do In Erbil

By |2019-07-06T15:35:07-05:00May 22nd, 2016|Categories: Asia, Off The Beaten Path|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Top things to do in Erbil. Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, is not the first city that comes to mind when discussing potential vacation hot spots.    In fact, if you utilize Trip Advisor, you will note in “Things To Do” tops out at 21.  Paris has over 3000! Quite a difference.  So I think this should [...]

Erbil And Kurdistan Advice

By |2021-04-14T22:21:58-05:00May 21st, 2016|Categories: Advice, Asia|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Erbil And Kurdistan Advice Safety Things can change at any moment in this region, but at the time of my visit in May of 2016, things were very safe.  This is despite the fact that the frontline is only 50 miles away in Mosul.  Before you visit check the latest updates with the US State Department [...]

Kurdish Hospitality – Erbil Iraq’s Mayor

By |2021-04-14T22:30:53-05:00May 19th, 2016|Categories: Asia, Unique Experiences|Tags: , , , , , , |

Kurdish Hospitality – Erbil, Iraq’s Mayor.  He popped out of his seat, with a wide grin.  His speed defied his age.  We had only met for a moment the day before, but he recognized me immediately.  But to be fair, I stick out in Erbil, Iraq.  As you might imagine, there are not many tourists here.  [...]

My 100th Country – Kurdistan Iraq

By |2021-04-12T16:11:58-05:00May 17th, 2016|Categories: Asia, Counting Countries 193 Countdown, Unique Experiences|Tags: , , , , |

“You like Donald Trump?” “No,” I embarrassedly responded in an awkward tone. “You like Clinton?” “Better than Trump,” I offered. “So Clinton is better than Trump?” “Trump is a stupid man.”  I was embarrassed by Trump’s broad anti-Muslim statements. “We are all brothers.  Muslim, Christian.  All brothers.” He smiled. I lightly touched my right hand to [...]

Visiting the Ayatollah In Iran

By |2021-04-14T20:53:39-05:00May 14th, 2016|Categories: Asia, Unique Experiences|Tags: , , , , |

Visiting the Ayatollah in Iran.  I have had some surreal travel experiences during my travels.  I have visited the DMZ from an observation deck in North Korea, I have slept over in Chernobyl, and spent a couple of days exploring a country that does not even exist on the edge of Europe, Transnistria. While visiting Iran, [...]

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