Sri Lanka (Feb. 2026)
España (Sept. 2025)
Plaza de Toros de La Malagueta
By Allan Brown:
Bull! Toro! Bugs Bunny! Ole!
Like most of us, I had my first introduction to bullfighting from watching Bugs Bunny as a kid. Later on, there were movies and TV shows usually showing the comedic angle of the protagonist running from the bull before hiding behind the wooden barrier or before launching themselves over the protective wall bordering the bullring. There was even a modern version of bullfighting in the last Jack Ass movie involving teeter-totters.
Continue reading “España (Sept. 2025)”Sizzling in Sicily (June 2025)
No Mafia Memorial
By Marla Laine Brown:
After five days in Istanbul, it was time to bid farewell and embark on our two hour flight to Palermo. Initially, we had rented an apartment for our stay in this Italian city. However, at the last minute, we managed to secure a tour that would allow us to explore more of the Sicilian island.
Continue reading “Sizzling in Sicily (June 2025)”Five Day’s in Istanbul (June 2025)
Istanbul not Constantinople
By Allan Brown and Marla Laine Brown:
In 1877, Italian writer Edmonds de Amici wrote: “Istanbul, a universal beauty where poet and archeologist, diplomat and merchant, princess and sailor, northerner and westerner scream with the same admiration.” His Constantinople travelogue, published long before the city was officially renamed Istanbul, played a significant role in shaping the perception of this unique city.
Continue reading “Five Day’s in Istanbul (June 2025)”People’s Republic of China (March 2025)
Terracotta Warriors
By Allan Brown:
One does not simply go view the Terracotta Warriors; you need a reservation and you need to be searched, scanned, and your passport inspected.
Our guides were happy to tell us that it was a slow day after viewing, for what seemed to us, massive crowds. Really? This was a slow day? Sure enough, we saw crowd control barriers that seemed to be able to handle about 10 times more people than were here on this day. Wow! This is hugely popular, even in China!
Continue reading “People’s Republic of China (March 2025)”Cruising the Hawaiian Islands (Jan. 2025)
Photo Essay
By Allan Brown and Marla Laine Brown:
Good Morning Vietnam! (Nov. 2024)
Hallo to Ha Long Bay!
By Allan Brown:
Alongside the Great Wall of China, Ha Long Bay is known for gracing many travel calendars. The iconic karsts of the bay have been seen on screen savers and social media worldwide.
Continue reading “Good Morning Vietnam! (Nov. 2024)”Cruising the Caribbean (Sept. 2024)
Photo Essay
By Allan Brown and Marla Laine Brown:
Discovering Guatemala and Belize (May 2024)
Shark Infested Waters
By Allan Brown:
The itinerary for the day stated that we were going to coral reefs with abundant colorful fish, Coral Gardens and then visit Shark Ray Alley.
Oh how they suck you into stuff you would never do at home. How can they paint a picture of gently floating around a tropical coral reef watching the little fishes and drop a shark bomb on you within the same paragraph? Who writes these itineraries? It’s a sly combination of sales pitch and future defense arguments for possible lawsuits. We have often chuckled at the lack of liability lawyers in Latin American countries while recalling walking a suspension bridge over Jaguar Island or the lack of handrails, caution signs and dubious footing on other treacherous trails. It’s common for us to shrug our shoulders and say “ahh it’s Mexico” or Egypt, or Thailand. One of my friends commented on the minefields of broken sidewalks and pothole ridden streets of his home country with the resignation that if you trip and fall it’s your fault. You should watch where you are walking.
Continue reading “Discovering Guatemala and Belize (May 2024)”The Isthmus of Panama (Jan 2024)
A Real wink-wink Indian Village
By Allan Brown:
We have done excursions on several tours where they take you to a local family or native village to…ah…well see how locals live, or how they used to live. We still laugh about the native village in Ecuador we visited that involved taking a canoe down the river, hoofing it across the sand bar to cross another river and then hiking to the village. As we sat in the sweltering heat Marla happened to pick the one seat where a laser beam of sunlight poked through the roof and melted her face like a wax candle. It was an awesome sight to see and it distracted us from the obliviously bored“native family” dressed in grass skirts sitting in their own hell while a termite nest burned smoking away the mosquitos.
Continue reading “The Isthmus of Panama (Jan 2024)”
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