For my recent trip to Colombia and Panama City, my airfare was $291 (after all taxes and fees). My hotel, which I found on booking.com was basic, but for the 7 nights was $187 (including breakfast). My room was basic, but I had my own bathroom, the A/C and Wifi worked well, and the location …
Sunset over Uluru (Ayer's Rock) In the Red Center of Australia, Uluru is the main attraction. You can fly directly to the area, or drive south from Alice Springs, or north from Adelaide. The road is very long and has very little to see other than a few dead kangaroos, some tumbling weeds, and …
Continue reading Magical: Sunset over Uluru and the Field of Light (Australia)
The Brazilian government recently changed their visa rules, so that citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia no longer need a visa for stays under 90 day (some extensions are available as well). This went into effect on June 17, 2019.. The visa can be acquired at https://www.brazilvisaonline.org or https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/brazil/online/home/index as well as other …
Continue reading Travel to Brazil just got simpler and cheaper
The Chicago Architecture Foundation's Chicago River Cruise is great. Several companies offer tours, but the CAF tour is generally recognized as the best one to take because of the knowledge of the docents from the CAF. The docents on the boat during the hour and a half tour point out many architectural highlights in Chicago …
Packing light - reversible/convertible clothes options for women In addition to taking quick-wash-and-dry clothing with you (covered here), another winning way to pack light is to get multiple uses out of the same item while having it look different so you can wear it more than once on a trip. One of the great things …
Continue reading Pack light, fit in carry-on: reversible/convertible clothes for women
Travel tips: Staying healthy in airports and on planes There are many things you can do to improve your chances of traveling without getting sick. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself from germs and other health issues while traveling on planes and through airports. The most important thing: ALWAYS have …
Continue reading Travel tips: Staying healthy in airports and planes
To Barcelona or Madrid, Spain multiple airlines (mostly American, Delta, Air France). Prices go as low as about: Boston $250 Chicago $300 Los Angeles $350 Miami $350 New York City (EWR, LGA, JFK) $250 Spain is a wonderful place to visit in the offseason Toledo, the city on a hill, Spain Sagrada Familia – …
Continue reading Flight deals to Spain (fall,winter, and spring availability)
Carpets unfurled in Istanbul, Turkey This is what it looks like towards the end of a carpet demonstration in Istanbul. It's nearly exactly like the board game named Marrakesh - where you lay your color carpets on the game board, stacking them on top of one another until the board is many layers deep in …
As you walk around the old area of Cartagena, you will see beautiful houses with bougainvillea or other floral vines climbing walls and covering balconies. Vendors walk around selling hats, sweets, and cold water or beer. Women in colorful ethnic clothing pose for photos with bowls of fruit on their heads. The people watching …
Continue reading Cartagena attractions: churches, parks, doors, and kites (Colombia)
Found a fun site for finding books to read while you are in a country or before you go. It is oddly hosted on a car rental site run by the travel company Expedia. It's a list of books they recommend you read before traveling to a country. For a few examples: For the US, …
Continue reading Books to read before going to each country, with descriptions
Travel nearly anywhere in a carry-on - dealing with clothing I nearly always travel with only carry-on luggage. One exception was when I went to Australia for a month and brought snorkeling stuff, dinnerware for when we were "roughing" it, mosquito nets, etc., as well as clothes good for 90 degrees down to about 30 …
Continue reading Pack light, fit in carry-on: dealing with clothing – quick-wash ftw
Here is an interesting webpage, that gives you which books you should read when or before you travel to different countries to get a feel for the culture and/or history. It's a list of books they recommend you read before traveling to a country. For a few examples: For the US, it's Uncle Tom's Cabin …
Continue reading Books to read before going to each country, with descriptions
The Mirror Lake Trail is about 2 miles long (5 miles if you walk around the lake too). Mirror Lake is a seasonal lake. Much of the year the lakebed is a meadow, but in late spring, the snowmelt fills the area and Mirror Lake is stunning. The trail is easy, but …
Last night, I went to Centennial Park just outside the old city of Cartagena. I had seen capuchin monkeys here on earlier days and had heard there were also sloths. While there with the monkeys, the 3 women from the tour I took in the morning to the Bazurto market happened to wander by and …
Continue reading Cartagena – Sloths, red squirrels, and capuchins (Colombia)
The Bazurto Market in Cartagena is a sight to see (and smell). It began its existence in the now-trendy Getsemani area but was moved about a mile out of what is now the tourist area about 50 years ago. The original building from back then is currently surrounded by thousands of other stalls, with the …
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