Losing weight in Rio de Janeiro
That morning I had climbed up the mountain called Pedra Bonita (Little Rock) where hang gliders jump off the edge of a cliff to a 1600 ft drop over Tijuca National Park.
The tandem flights require you to literally run and leap off a wooden...
Fish Market
At the central fish market in the ancient Moroccan coastal city of Essaouira, table after white table is piled high with the catch of the day. Each table displays only one variety, with the lack of strong smells speaking to the freshness of the...
The view across from Patallacta ruins
The Patallacta ruins along the Peruvian Inca Trail undoubtedly are stunning. You feel in awe and perplexed when seeing them, it's like viewing a real life sized puzzle. The whole trail is full of experiences so magical you almost hear the native...
Castles in Spain
Shortly after we arrived in Plaça del Pi in Barcelona's Barri Gòtic, so did a parade of gigantes and castellers. The latter (who name comes from the Catalonian word for castles) climb upon one another to build human towers. The tradition goes back...
A place to call "home" in Tuscany
Renting a holiday house, outside our home Country, would be a complete new experience for us, and we were a little bit concerned about that.
The result, on the other hand, was wonderful and we recommend that to anyone who is in doubt.
Besides the...
Sprituality
I travelled to the Nanhua Buddhist temple in Bronkhorstspruit, expecting to take a tour around and see something different.
Peace, calm and serenity are some of the enlightened characteristics I experienced here.
Aside from the main temple, the...
Market Curiosity
This little girl was the family potato inspector this day.
The legendary Pisac Marketplace on Sundays. Just a short taxi ride from Cusco, this place is filled with everything you can imagine. It is split into two areas, one being the art, textiles...
Curious Kitty
In the town of Corniglia, one of the towns of the Cinque Terre, this curious kitty emerged from this ancient window as if it was his job to check and see if the laundry was dry.....
Alleyway on the Cinque Terre
Had the opportunity to wander around some of the beautiful towns of the Cinque Terre in 2010. We stayed in Vernazza and then hiked to a couple of the other towns. In Corniglia, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and then walked around the town where...
My Cocoon
Too my first ariel yoga class. I wanted to sleep in my floating cocoon for awhile after.
Pisac Market
A typical sight at the Pisac marketplace on Sundays. Either you come as a tourist to buy souvenirs such as wool hats, purses, belts, artwork & jewelry, or, you come to buy food. Pictured here is the food market with the goods area in the...
A different kind of Turkish delight
Roaming the streets of Istanbul, and back alleys all over Turkey are mounds of Turkish delight confections. Some look as though they may have been boxed to sell when Bekir Effendi, the inventory of Turkish delights started up at the end of the...
Unlikely art: climbing the walls
Walking in one of Seoul's newer neighborhoods south of the Han River, this unlikely art caught my eye: a sculpture of backpack-toting gorilla climbing up an apartment building.
The Gangnam district of Seoul has splashes of whimsy among the new...
Unlikely art: a 'parking attendant'
Walking in Seoul on a rainy day, I looked up from the obstacle course of puddles and saw this parking 'guardian?' 'attendant?' 'demon?' The scowl, the creepily realistic wrinkled fingers of the hands in a prayer (!) pose--I fumbled my iPhone out...
Markets Let Communities Thrive
New Zealand, although quickly becoming a tourist hot spot, is still a country populated by farmers. There are more sheep than people on the islands, and most towns have a local “farmers market” on the weekend where they sell their crops.
While in...
