Getting My Ears Picked in Taiwan

One of the pleasures of going to Asia, at least for me, is the massages.  Everywhere from Thailand to Vietnam to Cambodia, the massages are excellent, cheap, and widely available. From restorative foot massages after a long day of hiking, to full body deep tissue rubdown that leaves me in […]

Kaohsiung 高雄市: My kind of town

“Please just point to it on the map. Don’t try to pronounce it!” Julia pleaded with me as we approached a ticket counter at the Tainan train station to buy tickets to our next destination. The day before, she was chatting with her massage therapist and tried to tell him […]

Introductory Course: Taipei 101

All of a sudden, everyone knows what Taipei 101 is, after Alex Honnold scaled Taiwan’s tallest building with no ropes and no fear, live on Netflix. We were in Taipei a month before this death-defying stunt, and when Victor mentioned that we would visit Taipei 101, I had no idea […]

Hail Mary at Taoist Temple

“You enter on the right through the dragon door and exit on the left through the tiger door. And you never enter or exit through the middle door. That door is for gods.” We sat on a bench in front of a brightly colored Taoist temple with a rooftop looking […]

Taiwan: The First 24 Hours

The first 24 hours in Asia are crucial. This isn’t an easy 4-hour flight to Mexico City, where we get out of the airplane and hit the ground running, only occasionally stopping to marvel that just a few hours ago we were at home. It doesn’t have a mere 6-8 […]

Fake Estonian in a Fake Village

By Julia / July 28, 2022

We were sitting on the rocks by the Baltic Sea, laughing hysterically. “It was like a scene out of a sitcom!” I gasped between laughing fits, “Who does something like this in real life?” Victor buried his head in his hands, “I don’t know! I don’t know what I was […]

Soaking in Estonia           

By Julia / July 21, 2022

On the fourth day in Tallinn, we were in the back seat of a taxi, chatting with our Russian-speaking driver about the intricacies of the daily life of ethnic Russians in Estonia. “I’ve never been to this one,” he said as he pulled the car over. “Enjoy!” I peeked out […]

Santa Ana: Visiting the Coffee-Boom Capital of El Salvador

By Victor / July 14, 2022

After spending a few days at a coffee finca on Ruta de Las Flores, we made it to Santa Ana.  The city was once an important center during the coffee boom of the early 20th century. The central square with its imposing neo-Gothic cathedral, theatre, and city hall looked very […]

Take Me Out with the Crowd!

By Victor / June 28, 2022

Part II We continue with our stories from the major U.S. baseball ballparks. For Part I, please start here.  6. Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati You realize Cincinnati is a baseball town when in a local art museum, just a few blocks from the ballpark, you see Andy Warhol’s portrait […]

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

By Victor / June 25, 2022

Part I Summer is here, and for me, that means one thing-baseball.  Nothing beats spending a few hours on a warm summer afternoon at a ballpark watching a game and connecting with friends over beer, peanuts, and crackerjack. In our U.S. travels, we love visiting ballparks because they give us […]

Traveling in Search of Mud

By Julia / June 17, 2022

Ten years ago, I was inside a small ceramic shop in Santa Fe, on a street lined with art galleries, hipster coffee shops, and boutiques. “$260!” I exclaimed, “I mean that’s a pretty vase, but $260!” “That’s Mata Ortiz!” Victor gushed, “Look at the geometrical design!  It’s the modern recreation […]

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