Bermuda So much more! 5 Amazing things to do in Bermuda

September 21, 2013December 14, 2013Posted in Food, History, Island, Nature, North America, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged Bermuda, Bermuda Triangle, diving, featured, golfing, Horseshoe bay, Saint George, scooter, scuba2 Comments

When you think of Bermuda do you think of shorts, surfing, sun, and island living? Having recently got back from Bermuda I now have a great appreciation for this amazing island. One of the amazing things about the islands of the Caribbean and really the islands everywhere is that for the most part, each island is different. A few years ago before I started really exploring the islands I thought once you’d been to one you’d seen them all. This is far from the case. Each island nation has a different story. Many have different geographic features, and the histories and imperial powers languages and resources of each island make up a vast variety of experiences. Even the foreign money that may be invested in the nation play into the development of an island and how long it’s been independent or not!

Business wear in Bermuda really stands out as unique. It’s quite normal to see a business man in a suit coat, shorts, dress shoes, and long black socks.

In my trip there, I found it to be a bit of paradise. Amazing beaches, relaxing surf, some of the best ship wreck diving in the world, and if you love exploring by scooter, there isn’t a better island. Only the locals can have cars, and even they are limited to how many cars they can have per household. As a visitor or tourist you can rent a 150cc scooter. Even my friends who were from overseas working there drove a scooter to work. This keeps the traffic, noise and pollution and congestion down on the three main roads through the island. Top speed limits on the roads are easily achievable by scooter as well, so that’s not a problem. During my visit I ended up driving on each of the main roads and went from tip to tip in a day tour across the island with my scooting friends.

If you love island food you’ll love the Jerk, Cajun and Creole and amazing seafood with fresh fish sandwiches everywhere. Little island, great night life! I had an amazing time mixing it up with locals in one of a few clubs, and then headed out for a midnight dip.

Many people get Bermuda mixed up with the Bahamas or think that it’s in the Caribbean, in reality it’s closer to North Carolina than it is to the Virgin Islands or the Bahamas.

While tourism is one of the top two forms of income for the island, insurance comes in second.

Bermuda

Discovery: 1505 by Bermudez although he never even landed there!

Geographic features: Bermuda is the shape of a fish hook. At it’s widest point is 1.5 miles wide, and and just over 15 miles from eastern most point to western most point.

Indigenous population: Said to have had no natives, but someone apparently dropped off some pigs which later helped to establish a permanent settlement community there.

Unique Features: St. Georges was established in 1612 and is the oldest continuously inhabited British town in the New World. It is now also the oldest British overseas territory.

My Favorite 5 things to do in Bermuda

1. Dive the Bermuda Triangle – Right off the coast of Bermuda are tons of sunken ships and great reefs. There appear to be higher density of sunken ships around Bermuda than anywhere! If you don’t dive there are great snorkeling spots as well, or go for a glass bottomed boat, but you really should consider getting wet in the amazing water. There are advanced diving places with tunnels, caves, and canyons, and easy diving spots with tons of colorful fish. I saw a massive grouper.

2. Soak up some sun on the amazing beaches like Horseshoe Bay in the most amazing azure colored water you’ll ever see– The sand doesn’t get hot and it barely sticks to you.

3. Walk around St George 1612, the oldest continuously inhabited town in the new world. Old ships, old churches, old graveyards, great colorful little shops, and tons of museums. You can feel the history.

4. Life is an adventure – Rent a scooter, the best way to get around the island! Want to take it slower? Take a segway tour, or really step it up and put on a water propelled jet pack. I rented a scooter in the middle of the island and rode from tip to tip and then back. Amazing how much ground I could cover in an afternoon.

5. Go golfing?!! Highest golfing density in the world. 18 courses on some of the most pristine views and unique environments.

Fiji – An Experiment in “No Reservations” Cultural Island Travel

July 13, 2013July 13, 2013Posted in Culture, Entertainment, Family, Favorite, Food, Oceania, Religion, Travel, UniqueTagged culture, drink, fiji, fijian, island, islands, kava, nadi, no reservations1 Comment

I bought a cheap flight from New Zealand on my way back to the U.S. On a discount Jet Star flight, I was in Fiji for a couple of days for less than a difference of somewhere between $100-200 USD. It was great. I loved Fiji. The people were amazing! The adventures I had in Fiji could not have been planned, and no guide could have planned some thing as authentic as what we experienced. This post is the first night and I’ll separate the other experience in another post. Fiji was just too amazing for one post. Michael condensed his into one post on Fiji titled “Kava Shots and Holi Wars”, and I borrowed a couple of his great photos. This post on our experience with the native Melanesian people and my second post on the hindustanis and celebrating “holi” with them.

When some people think Fiji, they think of beaches in paradise. I was thinking… Natives in grass skirts, a real tribal experience that I couldn’t find in the Caribbean. I knew I wouldn’t have my wife and kids with me, and hanging out on the beach was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to go local and seek out a real adventure.

On the flight to Fiji I asked a flight attendant where I could find the most native village and one where I could live with the locals. I was imagining huts or sleeping on mats or hanging hammock. I was given the name of a place somewhere deep in the island. When we went to pick up the rental car, they said we’d want a 4×4 to get there. Ultimately we picked up a 4×4 and headed out into the woods. Before we headed out, we wanted to make sure we had a gift for the village to cover any expenses we might incur to the village.

It was long before we started out on dirt roads, and deeper and deeper crossing rivers, and getting strange looks. Miles and miles deeper we drove. The stares started getting longer and polite “Boolah!” we would get. We’d respond, “Boolah!” and smile big. Then someone stopped us… where are you going? We explained we were going deep into the heart of the island to this very native village. He told us that was impossible and that we should turn around. We let him know we weren’t in a hurry and were enjoying the drive. He gave us a warning that the river had washed out the road. It got more and more challenging as we drove along and finally we met our match. The road was too much, so we turned around. You’ve heard about Anthony Bourdain and his No Reservations show. On this day we were definitely traveling without reservations. We were both up for adventure. I was traveling with my friend Michael Noel of SharingTheGlobe.com and I said. Tonight I want to sleep in a village, and we agreed even if we were on someone’s floor. We were open to adventure. As we drove back the way we came, we saw a big tent and a local gathering. We slowed down to avoid the crowd walking along the street and gathered around the tent.

Young men were pounding long metal pipes in little wooden canisters. They’d lift and pound, twist lift and pound. We slowed and said “Boolah!”… What’s going on? He replied, it was a birthday party for his 1 year old daughter. The entire village was gathered for the party. The women were inside the home, and the men underneath the tent. He invited us to join them. We had heard about the need to bring cava roots as a gift, so we were prepared. I was so excited to join this exciting moment and the family was happy to have some foreign guests of honor. We were brought to the head of the tent to the elders of the village and sat down on mats.

The village chief elder asked us a few questions, but invited us to participate in a ceremonial “Kava” drink. Kava is such an important part of the culture. It is only consumed sitting with your legs crossed, with no legs and foot pointing to the sides. The kasava root is pounded then put in a sock and water is added to create the drink. The first person claps their hands twice, and from a large bowl a half coconut is dipped in and then the person who is presented the cava claps twice, then drinks the cava, after he’s finished he throws any remainder over his shoulder and hands the coconut back. Both hands are used at all time. It felt like a handshake, trust, confidence, and an opportunity to make friends all at once.

The tent was filled with happiness and order. Those with the most age were at the front of the tent and as a rite of passage, you had to be twenty or twenty one to enter the tent. Those at the back of the tent had paid their dues in the pounding of the cava and only those who had come of age could drink the cava.

In our search for a unique cultural experience we were given one. We had arrived late to the party and the men had already eaten. We were invited to eat with the women and children who as custom would have it, eat after the men.

They accepted us and we had some interesting looks, but had some great local hand cooked fish and rice. The children thought we were interesting or funny looking. Either way, we made friends with the kids, and eventually re-emerged back out toward the tent. A couple of younger guys from the back of the tent approached us and asked us about our story. Why we were here, asking if we were having a good time… Of course we were. We were offered more kava. At this point I was getting a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have strange dreams or what affect this kava might have. I knew there wasn’t alcohol in it, but beyond that I didn’t know much about it. I explained to the young man that I shouldn’t have too much. He asked why. I said for religious reasons. He asked what religion. I said. LDS. He said. “No way.” I said, “yes way. I am a Mormon.” He replied… That was impossible. He stopped and said. I am a Mormon. That house over there. They are Mormon. Many in this tent are Mormons. I wasn’t sure if he understood me, or what, but then I remembered as we had turned off the road, I had seen an LDS church. He said the prophet had told them that they could drink kava, but they should not drink too much. Having spent the last 3 hours involved in the ceremony with the elders I could see the cultural importance, and for a young man this was a huge privilege for him to be under the tent and mingling with the men of the village. He asked us where we were staying and I told him we were hoping to find a place to stay. A while later he told us he had talked to his mother and we could stay with them. Perfect! We would be able to stay in the village and even if on the floor we had a real local experience rather than staying in some cheap hotel. He wanted to stay at the party as late as possible, so I asked him about what time he’d be leaving. He didn’t know, but somewhere around 1am. We agreed that would be fine. He ended up going back to the party after we settled down for the night. The 1 year old’s party lasted till at least 2 or 3 am. Wildest 1 year old party I’ve ever heard of… The people celebrate together. It’s a very communal society.

Music got more lively and ultimately it turned to dance, and we were invited to boogy. After learning a few local moves, we were invited by some locals to start dancing. We had some more kava. Danced some more. Had more kava, met more locals and spent the evening having a blast with the local Vatuvu villagers. Fiji was amazing and we were experiencing it raw. No guides, not paid group. Our payment, a gift of Kasava root, smiles and friendship.

That night I would sleep on my new friend’s couch, and feel what it was like to be a villager. Mission accomplished!

10 Must See Attractions In and Around Copenhagen Denmark the City of Cyclists

June 3, 2013June 3, 2013Posted in Culture, Europe, Food, Photography, Tourism, Travel, UNESCOTagged art, attractions, castcle, church, copenhagen, cycling, denmark, Kingdom, palace, sculpture, tour, vikings17 Comments

One of the best ways to see Copenhagen, Denmark is the way the locals do. On the seat of a bike.

Bicycles play a major role in the life of any local in Copenhagen. The bicycle is transportation for work, school, even night on the town with a date or night at the opera. A special bike famous from Copenhagen is designed for transporting construction materials or appliances, bringing children to kindergarten, going for a ride. No matter what the purpose will be, the bike is the answer.Why do they pick a bike over a car or public transport? It’s the fastest way of getting around in the city!

1. Nyhavn

One of my favorite parts of town is Nyhavn. These beautiful buildings have so much color and character. First you must stroll along this street either on the seat of a bike or strolling along on a walk. There are canal tours for those who want to see it from the water side as well. Great food along there as well. I often ended my day along Nyhavn.

If you’re in Copenhagen for a conference, or cruise, or a holiday. You will find plenty to do to fill your 24 hours in beautiful Copenhagen.

2. Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg Palace is the Danish monarch’s winter residence on the waterfront in Copenhagen. It’s in Copenhagen, so not hard to get to. Time your visit to watch the changing of the guard.

3. Frederiksborg Castle

is a palace in Hillerød, Denmark part of the . It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV. Heading out to this place could be part of a day trip.

It is on the Castles tour from Copenhagen: North Zealand and Hamlet Castle tour There are multiple tours, so you’ll need to decide what you want to see most.

4. Carl Bloch paintings

If you like religious art. I highly recommend tracking down the Carl Bloch (very famous Danish Painter) paintings in the Carl Bloch’s paintings in the Frederiksborg Palace collection. They are very moving and are considered some of the best in the world.

After I got home and started looking through all of the pictures from my castle tour I noticed I couldn’t tell which photos where from which palace.

5. Kronborg Castle

complete with moat, in Helsingor known as Elsinore Castle from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This castle is a couple hours outside of Copenhagen. Ask about it in relation to a castle tour. Lonely Planet details: Hamlet Castle Tour

If you do have multiple days and looking at day trips out of Copenhagen, consider Malmo Sweden. It’s an easy train ride over a very long and fun bridge. There are a few things to see, and easy to make an afternoon out of it.

The halls are so ornate I ended up taking hundreds of photos of columns, and gold and amazing sculptures and art work. My first trip to Copenhagen was one of my first trips to Europe, and hence blew my mind in terms of seeing so much history and royal wealth. It was mind numbing to see multiple days worth of palaces, castles, and cathedrals with so much history. My eyes are now much more trained to recognize the history. Now when I look at a marble column that doesn’t match I can imagine that it was likely borrowed from an earlier time period likely from a pagan temple.

There are quite a few palaces, parliament buildings, castles, and historic buildings within and near Copenhagen. Consider a Castle tour or two. Your head will be spinning with ancient places that you’ll be wondering what it was or what it is.

6. Tivoli Gardens

(Left – above at night, right from SAS Raddison Blue hotel window)

Tivoli is ancient and modern at the same time. The structure and property has been an old amusement park from 1843. It is world famous and shows up in many movies and may be the most famous places to visit in Copenhagen. Inside the garden you’ll find amusement park rides, activities and exhibits. In the winter it becomes a winter wonderland decorated with lights and mechanical elves and Christmas decor. I use Tivoli and the Train Station as a landmark when I’m walking around the city. As well I will often try to book hotels close to Tivoli as it’s very central to downtown Copenhagen and walking distance of all of the good stuff including the Stroget walking street.

Strøget – The Strøget is 1.1 kilometers long and claims to be the world’s longest urban pedestrian zone. It’s a very enjoyable walk with interesting high street shops. You may find this is the best route from place to place on your bike or strolling along.

We did end up going up the round tower Rundetaarn at night. It was interesting. It has specific time periods where it’s open. Apparently it’s the oldest observatory in Europe. It is worth tracking down.

8. Frederiks Kirke (The Marble Church)

this stately building is well worth a visit (above)

Speaking of churches. There are some other great churches in Copenhagen.

9. Church of Our Lady

This church has a very special feel with amazing sculptures. This church is all focused on a greater than life sized Christ and his apostles grace the church. As well a massive pipe organ plus a second story filled with columns in a very bright white church. It has a very strong spirit about it. This church is in Copenhagen and easy to walk to and open till 5pm most days.

All of the sculptures were designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. If you like his work. There is a museum dedicated to his works next to the Christiansborg Palace.

Speaking of sculptures. There’s one statue that most guidebooks will tell you that you can’t miss. It’s the Hans Christian Anderson Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen. It’s become quite the icon for the city. She’s also loved to be hated. She has gone through some rough times herself as she often gets chopped up and stolen.

10. The Little Mermaid

This isn’t the only statue in Copenhagen, but she is the most famous. Since she’s by the water there are multiple ways to view her. She is out near the old fort. It’s quite a walk from downtown, but not impossible.

If you like art and statues. Be sure to take it in. There is a lot of variety around the city that is worth checking out.

EAT!!

They love to eat in Copenhagen. The Danish are known for their food. They have very elaborate long sittings with a variety of wines, beers, and non alcoholic drinks as well, I tried a rhubarb drink. Often when you sit down to dinner at a nice place in Copenhagen, you’re sitting down for a 4+ or up to 6 course meal. I think I had 5 forks in one meal. They keep bringing out plates and plates of different little dishes of food for you to eat. There’s a lot in the presentation. The portions are small in the fine dinning arena.

Then there’s the traditional meat and potatoes. Often meat balls and some small vegetables. You can also get open faced sandwiches. Copenhagen does have a variety of food, but in most cases you are committing yourself to relaxing and enjoying yourself. If you’re use to American style, where you are there for the food and not the ambiance, you may have to let your waiter know when you need them.

10. Christiania

Alternative living… was founded in 1971 when a group of citizens knocked down the fence to an abandoned military area and set up a new hippie community, completely independent of the Danish government. In 2012 the Christiania fund bought the land. It’s now a bunch of artists, but they’ve gotten creative. They now have their own beer.

This place is unique in the world. It’s a bit of burning man every night. It’s a place that means different things to different people and the expression that comes from it has a wide variety as well.

– Real freedom of different types to different people: Check your politics and biases at the door.

– Anarchy – No RULES! Well, this has definitely changed over time.

– Shared living, shared everything. Those hey day are over. Now you’ll find there are businesses and art studios, where years ago anyone would be obliged to share.

– A place to do drugs in peace without the law. There are still soft drugs a plenty. Be careful with your camera.

– While capitalism was what they were trying to get away from, there’s quite the little cottage industry from the artists during the day, and at night it’s the bars and cafes

There has been spouts of violence in the past, but this is really a unique place. I have really enjoyed my time there, but it’s not or everyone.

Vor Frelsers Kirke (The Church of our Saviour)

is located at Christianshavn and was built in the years 1682 to 1696.

I hope you enjoyed this story among some of the others that I have posted. I put this post together for my sister, Tamra who is doing a cruise from Copenhagen. I hope she enjoys it. She has a passion for travel that’s contagious. Please like or rate the post, and I definitely welcome feedback. As a traveler I love telling the stories and pointing out places to see or things to do. I’ve been to Copenhagen twice, most recently in January and the first time with my wife. I loved it both times. I’m sure you’ll love it too.

Plan Your World Cup 2014 Trip to Rio Brazil with 5 Adventures and Tips

June 1, 2013April 21, 2014Posted in Bucket List, Culture, Extreme, Food, Nature, Photography, South America, Travel, Unique, WonderTagged bossa nova, Brazil, carnival, carnivale, feijoada, hang gliding, kick boxing, maracana, paragliding, Rio, sambaLeave a comment

Rio is world famous. Even beyond the wild and amazing cultural customs and tradition of Carnival, Rio is an incredible city. The world will be looking at Rio as FIFA Host city in 2014 World Cup and holding it to a very high standard in 2016 when it hosts the World for the Summer Olympics. the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international football or soccer tournament that is scheduled to take place here in Brazil from June 12 to July 13 in 2014. I hope this blog helps you make up your mind.

In my travels, Rio stands out as a big highlight, amazing city. Some will ask if it’s safe. Rio, every year as it gets closer to the world cup and the Olympics is worlds of change for the better. While pick pocketing or mugging out at night on the beach in the dark may have been more common place in the past, this is now no longer happening. The streets have been cleaned up and crime is getting stamped out and pushed back into dark areas of the flavelas. Even these have undergone much change over the years. Brazil and Rio care very much about their reputation and as the world is looking to see if Rio can stand up and be the world destination is it destined to be… it is accomplishing just that. Yes, you should take care and don’t do anything stupid, and take the advice of your hotels. Be smart and be cautious of what your plans are at night and you’ll be fine. I went to some night markets near the beach and made sure to stay in lit areas where people were and was fine. Those were both tips I got from locals. The people are extremely friendly and there’s so much to do. Rio is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It’s in my top 3 most beautiful cities in the world and may be #1. You will not be disappointed if you plan your world cup travel to Rio. It will be amazing. Planning for the Olympics and on the fence? Rio will fulfill all your dreams!

Rio is really working on response and planning for these major events. See Rio Goes High-Tech, With An Eye Toward Olympics, World Cup

Beaches!

Rio is known for it’s beaches some of the best known are Copacabana and Ipanema, but Botafogo, Praia da Barra da Tijuca, and Praia do Flamengo are also amazing beaches and there’s even more. There are lists of top ten beaches in Rio. The beaches are long and have long stretches of sand and boardwalks with varying population, some can get quite crowded. It’s not hard to get a hotel right across from one of the beaches. There’s water beyond the beaches as well with places like parque lage

New Wonders of the World – Christ Redeemer Statue

Rio has very unique topography. Huge granite hills, but one of them has the world famous Christ Redeemer statue. Corcovado, is the destination. It’s not to miss. Incredible views, amazing views of pristine beaches. Some of these stone hills have special access with funicular and others with chair lifts. You must get up on Sugar Loaf. Day or night… the views are absolutely incredible. You can even hike parts of it. There are tours you can take from your hotel, or bus routes to the funicular.

The views are unlike anywhere else. You feel like you’re on another planet. The closest examples I’ve found to the rocks are like haystack rock in Oregon, and Meteora in Greece, and feel like Capetown, but ultimately it’s more than all of these. Bigger variety and 6 million plus people spread across over a dozen of these huge rock mounts that have been carved out over thousands or millions of years.

Hang gilding and Paragliding

I’ve jumped off that mountain. That grassy area is where I landed. For around $100-150 you can hang glide or paragliding as a student of the art. You get a special license to do the jump. The prices vary greatly at different hotels. Different companies charge different rates. I even found there was some flexibility and was able to carve off a little off the price.

Soak in the culture, the music and dancing… Let loose, relax and feel the Carnival spirit…

For the most lucky watch the two weeks of Carnival on the streets, where it all happens. Then at night settle down to dinner and Samba Music maybe some Brazilian kick boxing. Find a samba school for the most authentic experience. Also watch in addition to samba, the choro, and bossa nova music. Rio is the birthplace of all of these.

There are a lot of reasons to visit Rio. You’ll be sure to experience the relax attitude of the people and learn to enjoy yourself one way or another… either sitting on the beach, enjoying the music or the fresh meats and seafood… amazing food! My favorite was the beans stew feijoada. Ask a local for the story. They have a long history. Don’t miss the Brazilian most famous dish, the feijoada (fay-zho-AH-da), a black bean stew filled with big chunks of meat, like chunks of sausages, pork or beef. Rio is famous for it’s seafood as well. The fresh juice bars with fresh coconut are also so fresh and great. Very refreshing after a good surf or after soaking up the sun sitting out on the beach. Enjoy a fresh one for me.

Looking for more details… visit the wikitravel page for Rio.

Picture courtesy wikicommons

The Estádio do Maracanã is incredible. Huge stadium that has undergone special renovations to make it a top stadium in the world. Following its 50th anniversary in 2000, the stadium underwent renovations which would increase its full capacity to around 103,000. After years of planning and nine months of closure between 2005 and 2006, the stadium was reopened in January 2007 with an all-seated capacity of 82,238

Planning for the games or not, it is one that the locals would tell you not to miss… You can visit the Maracana, once the largest stadium in the world and currently largest in all of South America will be host of the FIFA 2014 World Cup and final. It even includes a museum! The tiny picture to the right from the museum has photo ops. Yeah, it’s a little silly, but football fans love the shrines to their favorite players and the chance to be part of the action.

As a frequent global traveler, let me share a few tips for a successful trip to Rio, Brazil…

5 Tips to Prepare Your Trip to Rio de Janeiro

1. You may need a visa. US Citizens NEED a visa. This is something you need to prepare for around a month in advance. Hopefully around the time you have your travel plans. There are express visa options, but don’t delay. Getting the visa MUST be done in advance and can not be done at the border. You’ll be looking for the tourist visa. You’ll need at least 2 blank pages in your visa and 2x2in photo. I recommend the 10 year visa. The cost difference between the shorter visa doesn’t warrant it. It will cost you around $200-300 USD to get the visa and could easily take 2-3 weeks to make it all happen. You will be sending a copy of your passport to get the visa, so make sure you plan accordingly. If this is your first trip, you’ll want to get your passport months in advance. Even if you’re from Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Japan, or Mexico you NEED a visa. Citizens of the UK and EU including Turkey are exempt and don’t need a visa. So check to make sure.

2. Prepare to pay – Brazil isn’t a poor country, despite what you hear in the news. Food can be quite expensive. The Brazilian Reals are a strong currency. You will definitely love the experience. It’s a tourists dream to go here, but you may have to shop around if you’re coming from a poor country to see the match.

3. Hotels – Prepare way in advance for hotels and hostels. Do your research. These will fill up fast for the World Cup and Olympics or Carnival. Consider options like AirBnB and VRBO as alternative to the typical conventional options sometimes these can even be cheaper than hotels.com. If you don’t mind paying in advance, Expedia and Priceline can save you a lot in some of the major hotel chains, but there are a lot of options, so you’ll need to shop around.

4. Bring your swimming suit and a jacket – while Rio seems like it has the perfect weather. The nights can be cool, and you may end up in the hills where it’s chilly. Don’t forget your suit and sun screen.

5. Travel and Money strategies – I spoke in length about how to put money in more than one place such as some in your carry on bag and NOT in your back pocket. With the events you don’t want to be sorry about having all your money getting swiped in one place. You should visit my 10 simple tricks for world travel, so you’ll be thinking wholistically about how you pack and what your backup strategy is on money. The way you pack can make a big difference on your flexibility for a trip to Brazil.

If you’re debating between adding on excursion trips to Sao Paulo or Iguazu Falls. Iguazu in my opinion is the best waterfall in the world from a tourist perspective, and I’ve seen 4 of the top 5 in the world. It’s awesome. Sao Paulo, while a great city to do business in, wasn’t that exciting from a tourist perspective.

Panama Island Escape: Bocas Del Torro and Urraca – Adventures in Paradise

May 4, 2013June 1, 2013Posted in Animals, Central America, Culture, Family, Food, Nature, Tourism, TravelTagged culture, ecotourism, islands, native, Panama2 Comments

Before when I thought of Panama, all I could think of was the Panama canal. Now I think of Islands. There are so many little islands off the coast of Panama.

The only way to get around the islands is with boats. The boats are like busses taking you from place to place. The first time I visited Bocas del Torro, I thought the island was the destination. It wasn’t until I spent a little time on the island and I discovered that the adventures are all around you.

Red Frog Island
Urraca Private Island
El Tigre – Native Tribe Island
Bat Caves
Waterfalls
Scuba Diving for underwater ship, sea horses, and amazing

I wasn’t satisfied just to see a small bit of Panama. I had to come back, so I brought my family. I did some searching and came across Urraca Private Island. It sounded magical. Your own private island, the lady who runs the place has her own monkey, a French Canadian who travelled the Caribbean looking for paradise. She found 2 islands of mangroves and found a way to put a house on stilts. These beautiful places are designed with nature in mind. The electricity comes from the sun, the water in the house comes from the rain.

While I was really hoping to find “utopia,” instead we had a great adventure that tested my wife’s limits. I think over those few days I’d see something in her as an adventure traveler that would make me realize things have changed (at least knowing that there are comfort limits.) My wife didn’t like the cold showers, didn’t like the rain showers that barely let up a couple of days. Even though it wasn’t the rainy season we spent a lot of time in the rain forest and you don’t know how it will effect a person.

I realized we couldn’t do hostels as a family. I tried a couple of different styles and we drew the lines at A/C – required, hot showers – required, and no bugs. We didn’t have screens in the windows and the little fans didn’t do enough to keep the kids and my wife happy. The adventure became too much of one.

It was a little daunting not to be able to be in control. You tell the boat when to come and that’s when it will come. No earlier, no later. When it’s time to eat and you’re on a private island, you don’t have a lot of choices if you didn’t prepare. You likely will eat what is being cooked and if you don’t like it or don’t like the prices… tough. You may not even know the price until the end of the week, and at that point you better be prepared. Ask for a menu and ask for prices, and ask for alternatives. I did come across some places, but easily 30 minutes away and that means gas or it means going to dinner on your way back from an adventure.

Pictured: Left the food places at Bocas are often out on the water with incredible views. Right: The swim up to it table, difficult to get on those seats at low tide, but beautiful to look at. There’s a lot of symbolism in this… It looks better than it feels without knowing and realizing it’s going to be an adventure and that’s what it’s all about.

While it may not have been the ultimate paradise for everyone on those three days on the private island. I really really enjoyed the adventure even though I discovered their comfort limits. Here are just a few things we experienced.

Capuchin monkey
Fresh lobster
Private beaches
Encounters with natives
Snorkling and scuba
Cave spiders that look like scorpions
Seeing sloths in the wild!
Bioluminescent waters
Dolphins

Crossing from Costa Rica across a wild train bridge was quite the adventure. It really wasn’t hard to catch a bus from Puerto Viejo or Manzanilla to the border. You can even pay to get all the way to Bocas del Torro which involves crossing the train bridge then riding a van transport to water transport and then on for another hour to Bocas del Torro.

Pictured: Jared with his rodent friend that had a rabbit face on Right my 3 year old and Tutsi the monkey

Pictured: Get your scuba certification in 3 days. Open Water PADI certified. It was the best dive with the worst equipment, but I got what I paid for… it was cheap!

Local breakfast on Bocas del Torro… a local meal of scone and two meatballs. I’m sure there was a local name for it.

O Little Town of Bethlehem: Touring Palestinian Territories

November 22, 2012November 22, 2012Posted in Bucket List, Favorite, Food, Middle East, Religion, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, Unique, WarTagged Bethlehem, christian, Dead Sea, Dome of the Rock, Gaza, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jew, muslim, Palestine, West Bank2 Comments

With all this talk about air raids in Palestine and rockets in Israel makes you think it must be pure chaos. It’s far from the truth. The people I’ve met are use to the rockets coming from Gaza into southern Israel and haven’t been really concerned until as of late, but the latest special rockets with targets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem bring in a whole new dynamic. That’s serious when random rockets can reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv! I probably won’t be taking my family to Jerusalem for a couple of years, but it is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I love hearing the stories in church and thinking about the places I’ve been. I’ll tell you more about Bethlehem as well. There’s nothing like it. Seeing the struggle in person is unreal. Tours can be organized to go to areas in the West Bank from Jerusalem. My first encounter with Palestinians was in Jordan, a real must in the middle east and required on your collection of the 7 wonders of the world to see Petra the amazing place made famous by Indiana Jones. Later I met a friend of a friend in Qatar who took me around Doha and discovered this national Judo champ was Palestinian.

Also make sure to pull out a map of the middle east. There’s still a big difference between the West Bank and Gaza. Here are some clips from the BBC maps that show the complication.

The two governments (3 if you count Hamas, but lets focus on the West Bank) while attempting to be united are still not there. I’ve even had friends who have visited Gaza while rockets were going off, and felt unaffected. It’s wild.

I’ve visited Israel and the West Bank three different times, and outside of security and check points… I really enjoyed my time. I do have friends in the technical community in the Israel Office/SharePoint User Group and in Palestine SharePoint Users Group. In fact I randomly came across SharePoint training on the streets of Bethlehem! If you don’t know what SharePoint is, don’t worry. For me it’s what gets me around the world. It’s the technology that I speak about and cover on my technical blog at http://sharepointjoel.com

On your holiday you must go to the dead sea. Believe me, the mud that is shipped all over the world is amazing. You must cover yourself from head to toe and then take a dip. The worlds lowest bar in the world (Kalia –418 meters) is next to the dead sea. There are rumors that Sodom and Gomorrah from the Old Testament is the same location as the dead sea. Avoid your eyes and ears from the salt water, but do lay back and float. It’s amazing. I’ve tried it in the Salt Lake in Utah, and it works, but the salt content isn’t as dense and it sure stinks in Utah because of the brine.

Must see places in Palestine

1. Bethlehem – Church of the Nativity (in the West Bank)

O little town of Bethlehem. I sing about it every Christmas season. You may too. I will now never have a Christmas come and go where I won’t be thinking about the little town and what I experienced. There are pilgrims that visit all the time. I’m sure the numbers will be less this season than last, but it should be bucket list item for all Christians if not Muslims and Jews as well.

Go through a small opening, then venture through some amazing columns then wind yourself behind the alter and back under and down some stairs to a small little area where you’ll find a star. This star marks the place where the Christ child was born.

Jesus is special to both the Christians, Muslims, and Jews. So while he may not be the Son of God to all faiths, you can have conversations about Jesus in all circles and they know where he was supposedly born. Many assume that Palestine is nearly all Muslims. This is also not the case. There are a lot of Palestinian Christians and many Israelis that may or may not be Jews referred to as settlers, and Bedouins that may or may not be Muslim.

2. The Tomb of the Patriarchs and Mosque in Hebron (in the West Bank)

The burial place for Abraham, Sariah, Isaac, Rebeccah, Jacob (Israel) and Leah. Built by King Herod King of Judea about 2000 years ago. Sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. 2nd holiest site for Jews after the Western Wall.

Another fascinating part of Hebron is the fact it’s divided in two. As is the Tomb and caves. You’ll find 10 days where the Jews have the whole thing, and that’s the day we happened to have been visiting, so we didn’t get inside, but we did get to experience what it was like peering in from the Palestinian side into the Jewish settlement side.

3. Dome of the Rock – Jerusalem and nearby Al-Aqsa mosque (silver dome)

The Dome of the Rock is located at the visual center of a platform known as the Temple Mount. For Muslims this was where Muhammad’s night journey took place. Many believe it was the site of the Solomons Temple. In 2006, the Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslim visitors between the hours of 7:30–11:30 am and 1:30–2:30 pm during summer and 7:30–10:30 am and 1:30–2:30 pm during winter. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering after 2:30 pm and may not enter on Fridays, Saturdays, or Muslim holidays. In the few times I’ve tried to visit, I keep missing the cutoff. You really do have to plan ahead for this one. I’ve seen the guards do a quick test to determine the faith of Muslim believers in off hours. The nearby Al Aqsa mosque is believed to be the location where Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Note: Many Orthodox rabbis regard entry to the compound to be a violation of Jewish law. This is based on the belief that since the time the Temple was destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the precise location of the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary entered only by the High Priest, is not known. Hence a restriction applies to the entire compound. I’ve heard religious Jews should not plan on visiting for this or other reasons.

Jews have traditionally regarded the location of the stone as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the Holy of Holies during the Temple Period. According to Jewish tradition, the stone is the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; Muslims believe it was Ishmael, not Isaac, who was to be sacrificed.

4. Arafat’s Tomb in Ramallah

Yasser Arafat who for years represented the Palestinian Liberation Organization for years and years is buried in this tomb.

Abbas’s palace or equivalent to the white house is nearby

Growing up and seeing Arafat on the television is still fascinating. Now there’s a mystery surrounding his death. Was he poisoned? He body is going to be Exhumed on November 26th to determine the cause of death according to China Daily News and Aljazeera. Also just outside where the compound was you’ll find the flags of the nations that recognize Palestine as a nation.

While the UN doesn’t yet officially recognize it, UNESCO has joined the ranks, and has sacrificed US support as a result. It will be fascinating to watch to see if there’s a two state solution in the works.

5. Jericho and the Mount of Temptation

It’s a beautiful view, and there is even a gondola ride. This is the supposed place where Christ was tempted by Satan and told to jump and have the angels save him. Great views, and old monasteries. We walked it on a beautiful night followed by some gelato. As I walked the roads of Jericho, I thought of my Sunday school stories of Joshua and marching around the city. “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve, but as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord…” this is still a very powerful statement and one I use with my kids.

Getting from place to place between Israel and Palestine, and even getting to places like Bethlehem require passing through checkpoints that become bottlenecks. As well, large walls divide the settlers from the Palestinian people. These walls fashioned after the ones formerly in Berlin are huge, and tower above the people. It does restrict travel and movement for sure.

There are some political prisoners that are often touted in political prisoner exchanges.

I was pointed to this map of Israel and Palestine while in Bethlehem. While controversial it shows a perspective of the Palestinian people and their concerns of over land. It’s not my point to say who’s right or who’s wrong. Visit Israel and Palestine. You’ll get both perspectives. The people, the governing, depending on political alignment, and depending on where the person lives and the color of their card all may tell you different stories. Keep an open mind.

Below: Damascus gate is near the Garden tomb, another of my favorites and one that has a very peaceful spirit. Watch the hours… it’s closed on Sunday and closed for lunch and not open late. Be sure to get some awesome food, and enjoy the Muslim quarter in East Jerusalem, considered the capital of Palestine while.

In a traditional Palestinian scarf with some traditional Muslim women with head scarves. Just because they wear the scarf does not mean they are Muslim though. Some women in Palestine will wear it for fashion. As well, some Muslim women may decide not to wear it.

Palestinian food is good food. They love their savory meats, stewed veggies, mezze, mixed grills and deserts. Lots of lamb, goat, but hold the pork. No pork for Muslims or Jews.

Let me leave you with a final caution. The situation between Israel and Palestine is complex and goes back for many generations, not just since 1967. I don’t pretend to understand the full complexity of it, but I do appreciate the desires of the people on both sides to have freedom and peace. I appreciate the desire of a two state solution, and even the one state solution with full citizenship, but there are people on both sides that aren’t happy with anything on the table. It’s incredible to me that there really isn’t anything that will make the radicals on either side happy without horrible repercussions.

While I posted this blog with the intention of showing those that travel that there are some really interesting places to visit, I hope as well that those that visit will get to know the amazing people that have had some really rough times and a very bad rap.

I also hope the Israeli security will give me a break and allow me to visit every once in a while without interrogating me for 3+ hours. By the way if you are visiting Palestine, make sure you focus on your trip in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but any time spent in the west bank be prepared for a few hours in interrogation. You’ll likely end up getting my treatment involving many trips through the scanners and someone going through all your socks and underwear with their wand. So far I’ve never missed a flight. Ironically the interrogation is always on the way out.

Israeli’s, don’t be offended by this post. I love you guys too. Tel Aviv is amazing, great beaches, love the Golan heights and I’m happy to attend a bar-mitzvah any time!

Lalibela Ethiopia and the Famous Rock Hewn Churches

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012Posted in Africa, Bucket List, Favorite, Food, Nature, Religion, Technology, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged canyon, caves, christian, cross, ethiopia, Hiking, Lalibela, orthodox, Rock Church, St George14 Comments

In our world there are few places shrouded with as much mystery, culture, and history as Lalibela the second holiest place in Ethiopia. Designated as the 8th wonder of the world, and a UNESCO world heritage site. These rock hewn churches made in the 16th century are an ancient treasure built by Angels.

Lalibela starts with the story of a King that as a baby was shrouded in bees. The bees weren’t bees at all, but angels. The angels took him up to heaven and showed him how to make tools and how to carve churches from rock.

The story doesn’t end there. King Lalibela shared the ideas of the tools that were ahead of their time, and the humans took the day shift and the angels took the night shift and together they built amazing churches that are built with deep symbols of early Christianity. Rather than pilgrimage to Jerusalem at a time when the Christians had been kept from safely visiting Jerusalem and the other holy sites of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the life of Jesus.

Narrow valleys carved into the rock can take you from church to church, each with it’s own story. The largest megalithic church in the world is found among the 11 rock hewn churches in Lalibela. All of them are within a couple of miles, and easy walking distance. You can easily spend a day or two. Loyal Christian orthodox priests act as guides for a negotiated price. I was trying to explain that these churches were a lot like the church caves in Cappadocia, but our guide wouldn’t have it. These were literally carved by Angels. It was great to have a guide who was so loyal.

At lunch we stopped at a little place. We were told it was Friday and so we couldn’t order the lamb. It’s fasting day. So we ordered the fasting food.

The Ethiopian fasting food is made up of various veggies. The food is designed to be eaten with your hands and is designed to be a social family experience. Beets, potatoes, lentils, cabbage, tomatoes, amazing food. It’s served on a traditional injera which is not only edible, but is how you eat the food. Rip off some injera and wrap it around whatever you’d like. Sometimes it comes in a roll so you can rip off a little and have plenty to eat a nice big pile of food. There really is a lot of variety in the food, served on large platters. Ethopian food really grew on me. I had some in Zanzibar and a few years ago in Capetown. It’s really a fun food.

Ahead of time I did a little research and came across the Tukul village hotel. I *really* enjoyed it. They were cheap enough, around $50-60 that both Paul and I got our own rooms. The nicest rooms in town. We had hot water 24×7, plenty of power, and free wifi and it almost reached to our room. I say 24×7 cause some say they have hot water, but it’s only on in the morning. One also said they had wifi, but it was a hard wire in a room behind reception. Across Ethiopia this was our favorite city and favorite hotel.

The rock churches were about a mile or two walk from the hotel. When we’d walk around, a group of kids that would grow as we’d walk would tell us stories about their lives. They were from the countryside. In a sort of boarding type situation. Groups of kids put together sharing a room. Most, basically all, don’t have money. Part of the story you hear from the kids is that they are going to school and need supplies. Notebook, dictionary, and more. If you’re around long enough you hear about how they are months back in rent and will get kicked out of their place. Some don’t have shoes. In some places I wouldn’t believe the stories, but I was convinced.

After a day of walking through the rock churches, I overheard some amazing traditional music and as we got closer found what looked like the whole of the 15,000 of the village gathered to watch the dancing in a festival. I was offered a prime seat, but instead found a spot next to some young kids. One of the children was a blind boy, and his faithful friends who he held onto, one behind and one in front. They filled me into what was going on. None of them had parents around… they too were from the countryside and were here in Lalibela for school. They told me about their need for notebooks and that they would struggle without them. After hearing the price and seeing the sincerity I walked with the boys to the little store and purchased a pack of 10 notebooks which they shared. Word got around, and we saw some kids that we’d seen earlier in the day, so we went back and decided we’d buy them out. 70 more notebooks, but this time the story was more sincere. The 3 of us will share. Ok. I’ll get a notebook for all the children, there can’t be more than 70 around here. I was warned by one of the older children that the kids will fight over the books. Paul and I weren’t sure how to take the advice we were given of giving him all the books and have him distribute them. Images of him running off, or only giving books to the older kids concerned me. We gave him a pack of 10 and committed him to promising to share. Then another and another and then Paul and I each took 10 or 20 to distribute to the growing crowd of children. To my surprise, it was as if we were handing out food to a starving crowd who hadn’t seen food in ages. Fights broke out, emotions ran high, as older kids pushed and little kids tried to find a way to get close to us. I was nearly in tears as I saw the thirst. As I saw one notebook ripped to shreds I put the rest under my shirt and said no! I wasn’t going to waste these. The needs were too great. We were beyond sincerity. This meant their ability to learn. One child then explained to me that 3 kids could share one book. I appreciated his willingness to share and gave him a book. Another tried to line up and smile. Those that were surrounding me reminded me of what I had seen earlier in the evening before all the amazing cultural dancing. It totally reminds me of chickens fighting.

At the beginning of the festival a sort of sacrament or communion moment was happening. It was loaves and fishes Ethiopian style. A large platter with a large loaf of bread was split among the elders of the group, then to the guests like myself and other adults. I shared my ripped off piece with the blind child and his friends, really felt the spirit of what was going on, that is until it never made it’s way to the children, and others were chastised for grabbing at the loaf of bread. I needed to find a way to distribute the books in a way that wouldn’t result in ripped up pages. As I walked away to see how Paul was doing I secretly pulled out a book at a time with no one looking and gave it to the children who seemed heart broken. It really lit them up. Paul had given out his books and had a similar experience of kids fighting over them. We were both really shaken by the experience and knew we’d never forget it. Paul vowed to buy a dictionary, which he did, and ended up giving away wads of local currency to the children we walked with. Hoping that they could buy some shoes for the boy with no shoes. We don’t know how it worked out, and if the dictionary purchase was a ploy. That one to me did seem that way me, but we both hope that it ultimately would be used for good.

Lalibela is in my top places of the world. It has has special place in my heart. I was only there for a couple of days, but it did change me. It also makes me consider the wonders of our modern world and make me wonder what we’re contributing to our future. How will they judge us based on our megalithic buildings propped up around economics. These walls will fall much sooner than those in this little town of Lalibela, Ethiopia and they won’t mean as much as these either.

Social Mush: End World Hunger

July 2, 2012July 16, 2012Posted in Food, PhilanthropyTagged Feeding the hungry, food, philanthropy, poor, Social3 Comments

There are 7 really solid Ideas that are making a difference in the world in combating world hunger which really stems from world poverty. Many of these ideas are very entrepreneurial. I really like Microloans and I’m sold on them. I’ve been using Kiva, and my mom has been giving us Heifer International gifts for Christmas the last couple of years, which as well really seem to hit the problem at it’s roots by helping people gain access to loans and support in the case of Kiva, and animals for production in the case of Heifer. The gifts that keep on giving… like a laying hen, or a pair of rabbits or nanny goat which could produce milk, cheese, and so much more.

In the end it appears to me that logistics alone keep these programs for going further. On Kiva.org it’s local lenders and support groups. They do work. I’ve seen near 100% return on the Microloans I’ve participated in. I’ve personally seen loans paid back in over 25 countries. Impressive, this wouldn’t be possible without the speed of technology.

McDonalds has found a way to bring cheap food around the world, but it isn’t solving world hunger. Imagine a social business that can bring food that’s sourced locally as a franchise and is cheap enough that someone who makes a dollar or two a day can afford it. The logistics should be easy enough it could be ran out of doors without electricity or in a home, hut, or center camp or village.

Let me introduce you to Social Mush the next Social Business. It starts with a big bowl, in some cases the bowl is so large that it could fit 5 to 10 people. It’s also big enough that what it produces could feed 1000 people or 500 or 100 based on the village needs. At this level the economies of scale to feed the a village could cost $10-20 or around 15 cents a day.

Fundamental Principles:

The mush is made from local ingredients that are very accessible. Mush recipes can be customized to ensure proper nutrition.
The cost of the bowl itself and the first month of ingredients in the beginning are supported by international donors in a microloan fashion similar to the Kiva.org model
Each location has a local investor known as the Chef. This is the social entrepreneur. They are the one that has identified the need and is trying to meet the local need. They are responsible to build local partnerships and limited remote connections to provide necessary supplies.
Bowl locations are selected based on the need and basic training qualifications of the chef.
No one is turned away at Breakfast. They will pay what they can. Customer will come with their own bowl and spoon and be given mush at breakfast. Credits will be given based on skills earned, training attended or other productive and based on understanding the local needs. Lunch and Dinner are provided at a standard fixed rate but highly affordable cost which is based on a rate of return which will pay for the bowl and costs to cover the service within a ~6 month period. Shouldn’t be more than $1 and realistically should be around 10-25 cents based on the maturity of the local cost of living.
Customers can work with the Chef to supply and grow ingredients and become suppliers of spices, rice, milk, etc… creating a more local supply of basic ingredients increase quality and reduce cost while even more close to home promoting gardening/farming principles and self reliance.
Training and skills promotion is a key principle: The Chef will need partners and assistants and ultimately other franchise people. Activities that are required to get things going are organizing the supplies, gather wood, start the fire, and notify the locals (Is it a big bell?) Do people come over time based on volume? This assistance can be repaid in credits through food. They will also need help stirring, serving, and keeping order. In all cases I think these are volunteer opportunities that result in payment in food.
Franchise. Much of the organic spread to meet needs relies on successful deployments happening, they can train others in nearby villages and spread the success.
Recipes themselves can be modified based on what is in season and based on what is available. At some level it comes down to pooling resources. If I bring some of what I have grown and others do the same, we can all benefit from a greater palate and cornucopia of harvest. These recipes themselves can be shared.
The organization needs to be run in such as way that social franchises can operate on their own after some period of time.

Would you fund it? What am I missing?

Doha Qatar: Pearl of the Persian Gulf

June 5, 2012June 7, 2012Posted in Culture, Food, Middle East, Religion, TravelTagged Arabian, culture, Doha, gulf, Iraqi food, islam, muslim, palestinian, persian, Qatar, souk1 Comment

Doha Qatar - Pearl of Persian Gulf - Corniche

It was on a trip to Dubai where I was planning a trip to Tehran, and I found an 8 hour layover in Qatar. I had heard very little of this little Pearl in the Persian Gulf. Qatar Airways had all sorts of cool destinations and for a decent price I was able to fly spend a decent amount of time enough to get out and see the city. It was with a Jordanian Facebook friend’s, friend I met Mohammed Afana. I learned a few years ago to embrace the friends of friends and unless there are signs otherwise to connect with people in ways that otherwise would not be possible in such a short period of time. I had 8 hours or less with Mohammed, and we really became close. I have had a hard time expressing the connections I’ve made with the Palestinian people. On my technical blog I’ve shared a little, and it appears it’s been misunderstood. Below Muslim Education Center fashioned after a thousand year old Mosque in Iraq.

I do feel for the Palestinian people, and my experiences with Mohammed Afana are no different than others I have met. He was extremely kind, open, caring, and was a brother to me while I was with him. His parents are refugees from Palestinian Territories, and he was born in Qatar. We learn from people and walking in someone else’s shoes.

Mhmd’s a Judo expert. He’s very skilled. He actually competed at the world class level on the national team for years. He picked me up at the airport, ready to show me a night on the town. It was awesome.

We started out by going to Souk Waqif a traditional bizarre and market. This isn’t the high end shopping, but has awesome shops that will much better help you connect with the locals. I ran into this sheik boy with his pet falcon!

By the way, this Souk is only 10-15 minutes from the airport and truly is an old market that was built originally by Beduins from the desert to sell their wells. There are some great prices, and cool stuff you’ve never seen before.

This cool sundial? reminds me of the Dark Chrystal.

The white clothes he’s wearing are actually very comfortable. I had the chance to wear one while in UAE. They are very light and cool. It’s very understandable how modest, clean, and all together cool in how they keep the sun off your skin, as well as provide a covering. A friend of mine in Bahrain who wears both jeans and the white robe, prefers the traditional garb because it’s much cooler. As well the hatta or hat scarf on the head is great for keeping the sun off your head and neck. When I’m in the middle east I often prefer that as well as it is great for doing just that. It’s much cooler and keeps me from getting burned. While at the market I came across these cool traditional knives.

I was considering getting one of them based on the reasonable prices, until I remembered I didn’t want to check anything at the airport… especially some kind of weapon on my flight to Iran. I loved that shop. They had such cool travel items.

This traditional Muslim headdress and mask totally reminded me of my recent trip to Oman. The face guard almost looks metallic. When I first saw one on a lady I had to do a doubletake and had to slow down to take a picture… likely the opposite reaction that the lady was looking for. I would say in my time in the middle east I did gain a great respect for the women’s clothing. The flowing robes became very attractive and the mysterious eyes. Some of those eyes were just so incredible! Again, I know it’s the opposite of what they are going after… I guess.

I ended up bringing back some traditional Muslim robes for my wife. Which I’m sure she appreciated. I also brought back what I call the Emirate robes. We make quite the couple. We look just like the couple above. Some days in the summer I will put on my robes for around the house. I’ve got a much thinker one I got in Morocco that I wear in the winter. Sometimes I feel like I look like a monk in my big thick brown robes, another ironic moment.

Doha is from the future. You’ve heard about how these amazing tall buildings and structures have gone up in Dubai, UAE. What you may have missed is that Doha is really where it’s at. Doha got it’s wind right after Dubai and has had some fantastic architecture put up. The night sky is filled with crazy lights on fascinating shaped buildings. It reminds me of a lazer light show on the buildings. It’s far from boxy. You get pin cushion looking buildings, and buildings that look more like puzzles, and cones, and twisty looking towers. Awesome.

You also may have heard about the Palms in Dubai. This place where reclaimed land from the sea was pushed into the shape of Palm leaves? Well in Doha Qatar it’s the Pearl. You get this amazing island in the shape of a clam with a pearl in the center. The shopping rivals any 5th avenue, or High Streets of Europe. Looking around the photo, you can see the humus and oil as well as lamb shanks.

For lunch we stopped at an Iraqi resteraunt. I hadn’t had Iraqi food before and it sounded fascinating. The food was great. I had mixed grills, lamb, beef, chicken, tomato, onion… looks great doesn’t it! Awesome fresh grilled fresh food!

After dinner we got out on the water in some traditional Persian boats that almost looked Chinese. The Corniche is a great relaxing place to walk. Lots of locals walking along the shore. As well, we saw some high end shops… and ultimately ended the late night with some Turkish Schwarma, the place was packed! Yum… some of the best schwarma I’ve ever had.

Qatar did not dissapoint. It was a great stopover. I would go back in a heart beat. Great people, amazing experiences, great food, beautiful water experiences. It’s amazing how they’ve made this desert Oasis bloom.

Leaving a friend behind who I had just met was with mixed emotion. I wanted to stay, but was looking forward to my trip ahead… Iran.

Machu Picchu Spiritual City of the Sky and Wonder of the World (5 of 7)

May 21, 2012October 29, 2013Posted in Animals, Culture, Family, Food, Nature, Photography, Road Trip, South America, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, WonderTagged archeology, Cusco, floating islands, Lake Titicaca, Lima, Machu Picchu, Machu Pichu hike, Nazca, nazca lines, Peru, Unesco, Uros2 Comments

This post is in a series of 7 posts on the 7 Wonders of the New World

The lost city of Macchu Picchu. What an amazing and historical place filled with mystery. The Jewel of the Incas is spectacular. Definitely one of the coolest places to hike, explore, and take in the spirit. Lots of great photos to take, people to meet, cultures to explore. (Pictured below is the city of Cuzco with a nice llama in the foreground along with my baby Dean, a favorite among the locals.)

I flew into Lima, Peru which was already a pretty long flight. Lima is a fascinating city it’s own right. It was my first city in South America, but what a great first experience it was. All of the modern amenities, great hotels, great museums, lots to see. I hope you like cathedrals, and gold, and the mysteries of the Incas. There’s some great food, great get aways. Lima is on the coast, and there are some awesome restaurants and great board walk. Too many think that south of Mexico is more Mexico. In the U.S. and likely much of the world has Mexican restaurants helping the world appreciate burritos, tacos, and enchiladas, but it takes a little digging to find Argentine and Brazilian steak houses. What of Peru. What you definitely find in South America is very distinct cultures, very different food, and even clothing. If you haven’t made it yet to South America, I recommend Peru as a great place to start. Peru has Amazon Rain forests, Andes Mountains, and desert and beaches. (Pictured: Agnes, Michael, me, David, Tony, and Jose)

Continue reading “Machu Picchu Spiritual City of the Sky and Wonder of the World (5 of 7)” →

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EAT!!

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Vor Frelsers Kirke (The Church of our Saviour)

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This post is in a series of 7 posts on the 7 Wonders of the New World

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