Like the 19th century travelers in the painting above, I want to explore more than ever! Many of us have a desire to change the current narrative and make a shift to the positive. For me, traveling is a much needed elixir, especially in these tumultuous times. The key is…
Join Marla and I on an exhausting day of fascinating Cairo explorations. The Coptic area of Cairo is amazingly historic with ancient churches, mosques, and even a synagogue. Marla is with the women in our tour at the historic Al-Hakim_Mosque in old Cairo. Construction began in the late 10th…
Marla and I were very fortunate to visit Egypt in January before all the recent volatile events in the Middle East. We toured the complex of Saqqara located on the western bank of the Nile and about an hour south of Cairo. The area was used as a royal metropolis…
Egypt was supposed to be part of a tour of the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya and a cruise to the Seychelles Islands in 1997. Sadly, there was a terrorist attack in Luxor killing 62 people, mostly tourists. We were advised to stay on the plane at both the Luxor…
Exploring Carcassonne is like being in a medieval fantasy novel. We booked a tour which started outside the Narbonnaise Gate. This was a great way to get an understanding of the history and features of this formidable fortified complex. The castle is very crowded during the day with visitors from…
The press is full of stories about overtourism today. We all hear reports about huge crowds in the world’s beautiful cities. Paris tourism has been on a big upswing since 2024 when millions watched the Paris Olympics. The question is…”Is Paris too crowded and should…
There are often surprising powers which propel us toward special directions in our life. It is like an unknown force gives us a nudge. The Island of Bali is such a serendipitous destination. In 1995 after over a year of brutal treatments for cancer (multiple surgeries, an experimental stemcell transfer…
After our superb AHI “Essence of Southeast Asia” tour ended in Siem Reap, Cambodia Marla, daughter Lisa and husband Ray, and I flew to Bali for the last leg of our trip. We’ve stayed at many Bali hotels over the years and wanted something new this time. We chose…
It was great seeing Gary again! He came over from the Hilo side to spend a little time with us. Gary began making Garlic bread with a super sour dough. I bought raviolis from Genova Delicatessen in Walnut Creek, then froze and packed them before leaving for Hawaii. This has…
Many years ago Marla and I visited an amazing village while touring in East Bali. The village is called Tenganan. The villagers are known as the “Bali Aga people” and are the original aboriginal inhabitants of Bali. They were living in Bali long before the ancestors…