For the Loy Krathong celebration, there is a great parade in Chiang Mai in addition to the floating candles. Loy Krathong means "to float a basket." People from all around come with their krathongs (either hand made or bought along the streets) and then set them lit in the river. They are traditionally made of a …
Continue reading Loy Krathong (Kra-tong) floating lantern festival in Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Here are just some more pictures from Morocco. This is at the airport.
I leave for a week in Colombia in a couple weeks, and I've been investigating what things I want to see in Cartagena. (If you have suggestions, please let me know.) One thing that inevitably comes up in any search of the area is the Totumo mud volcano. It is an attraction less than an …
Continue reading Colombia – why I won’t go to the Totumo mud volcano
The Jardin Majorelle is a beautiful but small botanic garden with many fountains, water features, and sculptures in Marrakesh, Morocco. Jacque Majorelle, who was a watercolor painter inspired by the colors of Marrakesh, was the original designer of the garden and lived in a villa there for decades while developing the garden and grounds. When …
When I was in Slovenia, one of the stops was in Bled, to see Bled Castle and the lake. It is a beautiful area, and I recommend coming to Bled if you are nearby. The castle currently costs 11 Euro for adults. It existed (as proven by a deed) in 1101 and they don't let …
Continue reading Bled Castle, Bled Lake, and Bled Island – Slovenia
Jemaa el-Fnaa is a large town square and market place in the medina (old city) section of Marrakesh. It is still the main square in Marrakesh and is used by both tourists and local people for dining, shopping and entertainment. It is busy whirl of activity at all times of the day but is most …
A couple years ago I was lucky enough to get to go to Cuba (legally from the US). While traditional retail stores are hard to come by (like clothing, groceries, electronics), there are many stores geared towards tourists. The main things tourists buy there are: Cuban cigars (make sure to follow the restriction on import, …
These two parks are located adjacent to each other in the Sierra Nevada mountains and are quite similar. Both parks have mountains, grasslands, caverns, river valleys, canyons, and sequoias. Most of the land in the two parks is a roadless wilderness, but there are many trails you can take if you want to explore more. …
So the first thing you need to know about Curaçao is how to pronounce it, which I put in the title so you start doing it the right way from the beginning and don't have to relearn it like I did. 🙂 On the desert (but not deserted) island of Curaçao, you can use U.S. dollars …
Continue reading Curaçao – Cure-a-sow (like the female pig, not planting crops) – UNESCO site
Here's just a short post that can help you decide what has to stay with you on an international flight if you are checking your bags. A pen - for filling out customs forms A shawl/blanket Hand sanitizer and wipes - click here to see more about staying healthy on the plane at least …
Read more about how I pack for just carry-on nearly all the time: Travel nearly anywhere in carry-on – clothing Packing: My small “random things” pouch that comes everywhere with me Health and Safety pouch for travel: stay safe, travel well Electronics for carry-on To fly in carry-on, you not only need a concise list …
Continue reading Air travel – packing for carry-on – clothes and supplies (and under 40 pounds)
When you are in the large cities of China, you have a lot of options for transportion including: hailing taxis, Grab, and trains. The taxi situation is interesting as there are official taxis and unofficial taxis. The official taxis are what you'll find that lined up at a taxi queue like you would anywhere else …
If you are in Morocco, Essaouira (the closest I can pronounce it is es-whehr-a) is a really nice Atlantic coast seaside town to visit for a day or two. The name means "little picture" in Arabic, and you can see why. The citadel you can tour has great views of the harbor and …
In addition to my random things pouch which has proved incredibly useful over the years, I also have a slightly larger "health and safety" pouch. Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This includes: nail clipper, cuticle clipper, nail file, tweezers toothpicks, flossers q-tips small LED flashlight 2 or 3 instant towels, …
Continue reading Health and Safety pouch for travel: stay safe, travel well
In the past year, I've gone to half a dozen Caribbean islands, Thailand, Cambodia, and China. On each trip, I took hundreds to thousands of pictures (although many are just documenting signs, info, etc, not really "pictures" in the sense that they are pretty or interesting to look at). I feel like I just never …
Continue reading Travel: will I ever finish going through my pictures?
Travel Around, Experience the World 