From the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu to the wildlife of the Galápagos Islands — broadening the horizons of young travelers on a family vacation in South America
During my first visit to Japan, in 2009, I hit a few of the typical first-time-in-Japan sightseeing highlights: busy cities, fabulous shopping, “tea and temples” and ancient castles. When I was offered an opportunity to return in July ’11, I hoped to focus on some of my personal interests: birding, gardens, history, art and, of course, savoring the local food. The compact Tottori Prefecture seemed like the perfect place to pack all of that into a relatively brief eight-day trip.
Along the well-worn trail of sun-washed beaches awash in margaritas, I began my discovery of Mexico years ago, taking occasional day trips to nearby ancient ceremonial sites and visiting colonial Mexico, where fantasy cities reminiscent of old Spain had miraculously landed, often atop the old ceremonial centers. But on a visit in July ’10, my search was for obscure pueblos where daily life unfolds much as it has since the coming of the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s.
The pueblos along the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, located in the state of Michoacán, were my dream come true.
I became interested in Central Asia many years ago when reading about the Silk Road. Bukhara and Samarkand always seemed like mystical places to me. More recently, I read a book about Genghis Khan by Jack Weatherford that made me, more than ever, want to pay a visit to the area.
Rumors of strikes, riots in the streets and a collapsed economy did not deter us from planning our October ’10 journey to Greece. As my wife, Judy, and I had done several times before on trips abroad, we enjoyed meeting the challenges of independent travel and did our best to protect ourselves from the anticipated glitches that were bound to arise.
Namibia may not be everyone’s idea of a safari country. It doesn’t have the variety, large herds or impressive migrations of animals one can experience in East Africa or Botswana.
Namibia may not be everyone’s idea of a safari country. It doesn’t have the variety, large herds or impressive migrations of animals one can experience in East Africa or Botswana. However, as my wife and I discovered in September ’10, Namibia impresses with spectacular scenery, wildlife that have adapted to the incredibly harsh desert environment, and the opportunity to meet native people little affected by the outside world.
It was a short flight, by overseas standards, from Boston to Reykjavík and we arrived near the crack of dawn. After passing through what amounted to virtually no Customs check at all, we were met by a taxi driver holding a sign with our name on it.
Years ago I took a trip through the mountainous area of Sierra de Gredos in central Spain and was enthralled by the crystalline waters, wild rocks and green pine groves of the region. During that trip I ended up in a village called Navarredonda, and, while I was looking for a place to spend the night, I was advised to choose the local parador.
