On my way to Panama, I had a delay getting out of Salt Lake City, which resulted in me missing a connection and Atlanta. My ride to my unplanned hotel stay was with a pleasant van driver who asked where I was going. I told him I was headed to Costa Rica and Panama and…
Category: Tourism
Nicaragua: Historical Gem in the Rough
Cathedral in Granada Nicaragua is one of the poorest/cheapest countries in the Americas. It’s been an underdog for a couple of decades. As a tourist attraction it’s easily overlooked for Panama or Costa Rica or Guatemala. Many may not even consider it. Nicaragua is really under the radar as a tourist destination, and as someone…
Finding Peace, Relaxing in Laos
Michael wanted to go to Myanmar, and I wanted to go to Laos. So we compromised and flew to Thailand. The wonderful thing about Thailand is it is a great hub. The people are amazing, the food is amazing, the culture is very rich, and it’s very cheap to get around. Can you believe it’s…
Joel’s Travel Highlights 2012
In some ways, I have ultimately travelled less this year than in the last 3 years, but in other ways I really made it count when I was traveling… from visiting new countries to building new communities. This post is a cross post from my technical world and my travel world in a wrap up…
Road Less Traveled: Top 5 Travel Destinations of Armenia
Armenia view Mt. Ararat, the site where Noah’s Ark landed, according to Genesis 8:4. In addition, Armenia has the distinction of being the first country to adopt the Christian faith (301 A.D.) and being evangelized by two of Jesus’ apostles (Bartholomew and Thaddeus). The landscape is dotted with ancient churches and monasteries. Armenia may not…
Empires and Castles of Ethiopia
When you think of Ethiopia you think of impoverished people where 3/4ths of the country live on less than $1 a day. When I first came across the fact that not only there were castles Ethiopia, but a vast Kingdom that rivals the Kingdoms of Europe and was larger than the greatest kingdoms of the…
O Little Town of Bethlehem: Touring Palestinian Territories
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…
Traveling Marvelous Minsk Belarus
It started with a tweet from a would be friend and an invite to speak in Minsk. Would I? Oh wow. Minsk conjures up ideas of the old communist soviet world. Now while still very iconic in communism I have found it very charming, and a mix of old and new. The soviet symbols are…
South Africa’s Kruger Wild Animal Park: Wild and Wonderful
I’ve visited South Africa on three different occasions and found it incredible each time. I would go at the drop of a hat. I still need to take my family with me, and yes if you were wondering. I would do that. Something that holds a lot of people back is they are sincerely worried…
Lalibela Ethiopia and the Famous Rock Hewn Churches
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…