People Watching in Axum, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s people walk the dusty streets of Axum like characters from sun-bleached pages of a biblical picture book. I catch them in mid-stride, fetching water, going to church and carrying wood. The town is big, but almost everybody is traditionally dressed. Dignified elders sit on street benches and swat flies with horse-hair brushes, their respectable heads wrapped in white turbans. Most women have exactly the... [Read more]

My Peak, Climbing Mount Kenya

It finally happened. I got there first. I’m never first. Not when it comes to mountain peaks. No, I’ll make it, to this day I only have one “white whale” and it stands above six thousand meters high in Bolivia. On the bright side, I now know the limits of my body when facing elevation sickness.

I’ve decided to climb Mount Kenya as independently as possible. Just with a guide, no porters,... [Read more]

The Colors of Isla Mujeres, Mexico

I didn’t want to know what to expect when I disembarked from the ferry onto Isla Mujeres. The only information I really needed upon my arrival to this little island in Mexico was the name of the family-owned hotel where I would be staying.  The rest, I had decided, I would discover bit by bit. 

Isla Town, a village at the island’s northern end, holds most of the restaurants, shops and hotels as well... [Read more]

Cirque in Macau

Cirque du Soleil’s first permanent show in Asia has finally found it’s way to Macau. The show is called Zaia and it’s housed in a theatre in The Venetian Macau on the Cotai Strip built especially for the show. It is only 90 minutes long in an effort to be family friendly and I was enthralled every second. Performers bicycled through the sky. Acrobats dangled impossibly high above our heads. Astronauts drifted through... [Read more]

Travel Cheap, Free City Tours of Paris

Want to see the sights and know the stories behind them? Paris is full of tour guides but one company offers their services for free. A 3.5 hour tour of the city takes in many of the major sites including: Place Saint Michel, Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Académie Française, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, les Invalides, Palais Royal, Opera Garnier, Tuleries Gardens, Place de la Concorde, Grande and Petit Palais and (of course)... [Read more]

Travel Asia, Macau Must-Sees

I don’t believe in those whirlwind “Europe in a week” tours. But if I am going to travel across the International Date Line, I like to know what I should be sure not to miss. So, don’t tell anyone I gave it to you, but here’s a very unofficial (and surely incomplete) check-list of the Macau (cultural) must-sees:

Penha Church

A-Ma... [Read more]

British Columbia, Mount Garibaldi

For some amazing hiking options, it really does pay to get out of Vancouver at least once during your stay. One of the best places to visit is Garibaldi Provincial Park, which comprises nearly 195,000 hectares and is perhaps Canada’s most accessible and spectacular wilderness. The park is located 13 km north of Squamish, 97 km north of Vancouver along Hwy 99 on the road to Whistler. One of the easiest ways to appreciate... [Read more]

Stranger in a Stranger land, Macau Eye-Opener

I am the only Caucasian in the elevator, in the restaurant, on the street. I like it. It puts me in my place. It reminds me that English is a national language not an international one. Many people in Macau speak English. But plenty of others speak only Portuguese and/or Chinese. I am forced to attempt to interpret signs and evaluate context. I am forced to feel for the Asian tourist in the US holding up the line at McDonald’s... [Read more]

Sanchi, Buddhism By Bhopal, India

Sanchi is the site of some of India’s most important Buddhist temples. The oldest of these were built by King Ashoka after he converted to Buddhism in roughly 258BCE. Altogether there are fifty monuments at Sanchi, including three stupas and several other temples.

The largest building constructed by Ashoka is the Great Stupa, 16 metres high and 37 metres in diameter. It has as its nucleus a simple hemispherical... [Read more]

I’ve Misplaced My Wednesday

I seem to have misplaced Wednesday. I got on a flight from Dallas to LA on Tuesday evening and a few hours later boarded a plane headed for Hong Kong. When I landed twelve hours later, it was Thursday morning. And after a short ferry I was in Macau, on of my favorite places. Crossing the International Date Line is a strange experience, no matter how often you do it. There’s something truly bizarre about calling home after... [Read more]

R Ē S ↓ in Montréal

The snow is just starting to fall and I am told by locals that it is only going to get worse. “The weather will just keep getting colder. Then it is really going to freeze.” Still that didn’t stop me from exploring Montréal. I just bundle up like everyone else and took my visible breath into the streets. Downtown Montréal is like most big city centers — lots of shops and eateries and things to do and see.... [Read more]

The USA Finds a New Home at In The Know Traveler USA

When I first started In The Know Traveler almost five years ago. I never planned to run a single story about the United States. Yes, I know that it’s my home and a great place to live and visit, but I had planned to promote destinations outside of it. After all, the US is the number one traveled place in the world and I have driven across it several times and enjoyed it all. So I went off to promote the world.

However,... [Read more]

Minas, Uruguay

A town about 120 kilometres (two hours by bus), Minas is a small city with a small, but loud, plaza. There are roughly 35,000 inhabitants, and the city set up is like many others in Uruguay. But then you notice on the outskirts of town that you are surrounded by hills. After being here in very flat Uruguay for nearly five months, these hills looked more like the mighty Sierra Nevadas of my home state California.

Before... [Read more]

On the Hunt for Carne in Montevideo, Uruguay

A few years ago I tasted the most amazing, soft, juicy, buttery meat I have ever experienced. I asked for my meat to be cooked as raw as possible, and I was delighted with the results. This was in Salta, Argentina. Being here in Uruguay for 4 months I have been expecting to find similar results due to the cows being the same breed and eating from the same pampas (lush, rolling open terrain that the vacas meander around... [Read more]

Lots of Good Crack to be Had?

Is that what she said? Did my sweet little Irish friend mention doing CRACK with me in Ireland? I mean, at times in my life I’ve been up for all sorts of various pleasantries, but CRACK? Huh?

Surely this couldn’t be what she meant. So, instead of making a complete fool of myself by asking if she had actually thrown out the suggestion of us becoming drug addicts together on the green isle, I decided to do the... [Read more]

Swimming with Sharks in Umkomaas

Diving is my passion. Our planet is almost seventy percent underwater, and one can hardly call herself a traveler without exploring below the surface. I arrived to South Africa’s Umkomaas to dive with tiger sharks and to prove to myself and others that diving with sharks is nothing to be afraid off. Sharks are the most magnificent and misunderstood creatures of the underwater world.

The sea had been frowning... [Read more]

To Give Or Not To Give in Uruguay

I have been torn many times on what to do. I sit on a bus, hear some guy singing horribly, and then he approaches the passengers for a few coins. The voice bothered me, the ambiance of the ride changed for the worse while the tunes were belted out, but I know that this guy is hurting for cash and trying his best to make ends meet. Should I give him money?  How about on the next bus ride later today and the two tomorrow?

And... [Read more]

African Highlands

African highlands, Lesotho and the adjacent South African Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains), fall like soft folds of green felt and stretch beyond the horizon. This fairytale landscape is very different from the Africa I’ve been seeing so far. Iridescent green sunbirds with bright red bibs drink from equally bright red flowers in strange-looking trees. Every puddle has a frog in it, and if I didn’t already have... [Read more]

Carnival Times Continue in Montevideo,

It’s the longest Carnival in the world - 40 days of party right? I had my reservations…what kind of place (and who) could join festivities for 40 days straight? Impossible. But I have been proven wrong, once again. And last night I experienced my favorite Carnival times thus far.

I’ve gone to the opening Inaugural Parade, the following Las Llamadas parade with the candombe drumming groups,... [Read more]

Lucia Leopard

This is Africa for you - a seemingly boring place can produce the most interesting of sightings. I shouldn’t knock St. Lucia. If you’ve never seen a croc or a hippo in your life, this is probably a good place to start. Cheap enough tours will take you everywhere from whale to bird watching, and though the park still recommends not getting out of your car, it’s relatively safe to do so – there are no... [Read more]

Téann an Saol Thart Mar a Bheadh Eiteoga Air…

…Life goes as quickly as if it had wings.

I have no idea how many times I’ve told that story over the last 20 years. With each telling of that moment in time, it comes from further in the past, the images blurring more and more around the edges. Now I find myself wondering; Do I really remember that moment or have I just told the story so many times that... [Read more]

A Moment in Dublin

Once upon a time, long ago, a young woman found herself, quite by chance, running in the rain through the streets of Dublin, when suddenly it dawned on her, “I am having the happiest moment of my entire life.” At the enormity of this thought, she stopped and scanned the panorama of where she stood, taking in every nuance, every light, every sound, every smell, absorbing the moment with every cell in her body. And it... [Read more]

Riding the “L”

There are things that locals take for granted, mass transit for example. However, if visiting the Chicago area, do yourself a favor and take the “L” train at least once, and not just to get from point A to point B.

The L, also known as the El, is Chicago’s rapid transit rail system. It is known as the L because it was first envisioned as, and still is mostly, an elevated train system. It is the... [Read more]

Hostel Finds

Hostels are a beautiful way to get to know a new place.  Most times the owners/workers enjoy sharing views on their respective cities or towns (unlike some of the hotels I have occasionally stayed at).  And they do so without expecting tips as well.

But one of the best feelings while traveling happens when I find a fantastic hostel.  This doesn’t mean it has all the trendiest amenities or styles.  It is... [Read more]

The Hancock Observatory Chicago

I usually don’t like doing touristy things when I visit a place for the first time. I like to live like the locals and thus really experience the place. But, sometimes it is necessary and actually helpful and enjoyable, if you know how to pick and choose which attractions to partake in.

Let me tell you this: the Hancock Observatory in the Magnificent Mile district of Chicago is helpful and extremely enjoyable.... [Read more]

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