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By Marla Laine Brown: Once upon a time in the Valley of Anahuac there lived Indigenous groups who built grand temples to their gods. Then not so happily ever after in the 14th century these hunter-gatherers came to be dominated by a people known as the Mexica, otherwise known as the Aztecs. The Aztecs had... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful trip, it started with a Corvette top a top that would not fit… A buddy and I had planneda road trip to Colorado to buy a top for his vintage Corvette. I was talking to my brother about possible... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: Our planned excursion would whisk us off to explore the Bar Harbor area and Acadia National park. Honestly after a series of substandard tours the “Bar” (no pun intended) was set low. So after checking in we wandered over to our transport vehicle which turned out to be a brand new... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: Prague has an area they refer to as Lesser Town but not in an disparaging way, our guide Jana didn’t like the term either. Lesser Town means it’s lower in elevation in its proximity to the river and more prone to flooding. The area is also where most of the foreign embassies... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: It was nearly 5:00 AM when we woke to a crowing rooster and shortly thereafter the Call to Prayer. This time the mesmerizing sound was different because not only could we hear the prayer from the local Mosque, but an accumulation of haunting calls from distant minarets. Our cabin was still... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: After our Amazon rain forest walk we hopped back on the boats and cruised across the river to a sandbar where two balsa wood rafts were waiting. They were like it sounds, balsa logs tied together like in the movies. We sat on the edge of the rafts dangling our legs in... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: You will typically regret the things you didn’t do more than the stupid things you did do. With this in mind we made another trip to Xcaret Park with the goal of doing the third and last underground river. Continue to “Trippin in Qintanaroo” Return to Travel Geeks Blogs

(Anonymous quote): A university professor once visited a Zen teacher in search of more information about Buddhism. The teacher offered him a cup of tea, which the professor willingly accepted. Then the teacher started pouring tea in the cup, continuing to pour even after the tea started overflowing. “Why don’t you stop when the tea... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: I admit we had reservations about visiting Cambodia, a country with a tragic past. The Khmer Rouge 1975-1979 wasn’t that long ago and I felt sorrow with the realization that while I was in high school fretting over my inconsequential adolescence, the Cambodian people were being massacred and an entire culture... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: Shortly after being seated we began our immersion course into what I dubbed “Elephant Handling 101” and were educated about the 8,000 remaining elephants out of the 100,00 that once roamed Thailand. We also discussed the abuse of these animals for the benefit of tourism, such as the circuses and riding... Continue Reading →

(Anthony Bourdain quote): “For all of human history, there have been people who have burrowed into their well-known holes, hewing close to family, tribe, culture, race or nationality. And there have been the notable fewer who struck out, not to own or conquer or take or evangelize, but to see, experience, absorb, and enjoy, with... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: Marla had planned a mystery vacation for us and I hadn’t a clue of where we were going. Our kids and her co-workers knew her plans and they all kept it a secret. I finally got some clues like being told to buy a hat, pack a swimsuit and bring sun screen.... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: We cruised up the fjord as the temperature got colder and the fog was hanging over the shore. Eventually little chunks of ice appeared in the water floating by like pieces of a styrofoam cooler. Ice! Ice in the water! We approached the glacier as the chunks of styrofoam increased in size... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: Back in January of this year I received an email from a dear friend’s wife. Kathie was planning a surprise 50th Birthday and a Half party for her husband Kevin and this was to take place in July. His birthday was in January but they wanted to celebrate in July and have... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: Hello everyone! Who goes to Scotland in February? We did, and let us explain. Marla has a co-worker who met a Scottish fellow in California, who works as a stuntman on the show Vikings. The filming of Vikings is done in Scotland. So when there was a break in February, that was... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: We parked and walked towards the ticket window when we were intercepted by a member of a motorcycle gang, but not to worry he was a mid aged soccer dad in motorcycle gear. He had two extra tickets to sell due to a no-show within their group. He offered us the largest... Continue Reading →

By Allan Brown: This city tour not only included the cemetery but also free time in Red Square. We were to return to Red Square by 1:00pm in order to have 90 minutes to eat and shop. The bus was to tour out into the city before returning to Red Square. We tried to make... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: After cycling a section of the Spanish Meseta on mountain bikes, we arranged to rent cruising bikes for France. Our next goal? …. To transverse France via the Canal des Deux Mers. This waterway, also known as the Canal of Two Seas, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea by... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: The Spanish Meseta is a section of the Camino France that lies between Lagrano and Astorga, Spain. This central plateau is considered the “Spanish Heartland” in Spain’s Castile region. It is known for its flat dry areas and lack of shade. It is also known to pilgrims as a place for... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: Allan and I had just completed our hike on the Portuguese Camino when we decided to explore the Andalusian region of Spain. In order to do so we limited our time in Santiago and purchased train passes southeast. Our first stop would be in Madrid. From there we would head south... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: The Portuguese Camino is one of many pilgrimage routes that cross through Europe to converge in Santiago de Compostela, the presumed burial site of the Apostle St. James. This Camino traditionally begins in Lisbon which continues north into Spain with a distance of approximately 610 km. Due to limited time we... Continue Reading →

By Marla Laine Brown: El Camino de Santiago or The Way of Saint James is a pilgrimage across northern Spain to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The Camino has existed for well over a thousand years. The Way of Saint James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the medieval times. Legend... Continue Reading →