Ka-ra-kal-pak-stan
This was a real tongue twister. Ka-ra-kal-pak-stan. Ka-ra-kal-pak-stan. Now say it faster. Ka-ra-pa-kal… Damn. After spending nearly a month in the ancient Silk Road cities, the Fergana Valley, and the Nuratau Mountains, we thought we were finally getting a grasp on Uzbekistan’s diversity and complexity. We were starting to understand […]
Night Trains
Years ago, when we were staying on an island in Cambodia in a little bungalow on the beach, Victor walked off the bed platform in the middle of the night and fell down a few feet. He wasn’t fully awake and somehow didn’t hurt himself. When his mom heard this […]
Next on the Bucket List: Oktoberfest in Munich
I was chatting with my cousin, who lives in Frankfurt, Germany, and telling her all about our 36-hour trip to Munich just to attend the opening of Oktoberfest. “Have you ever been?” I asked her. “Oh no!” she exclaimed. “We are not big drinkers at all!” “Neither are we!” I […]
People Live Here. Nuratau Mountains.
We were outside the Jizzakh train station, patiently waiting on our Yandex Go taxi driver, when another taxi pulled up. The driver, a tall lean man in his early seventies, leaned out the window, “Where are you heading?” We explained that we were waiting for another taxi and he nodded, […]
Full Bloom in Namangan
A Tajik woman in a colorful dress was elbowing and pushing me away. I was too close, and she demanded space. She was also bothered by my camera, hissing at me that it kept poking her in the back. But what could I do? We were in the crowd, and […]
Two Pubs, One Fort: A-Not-Very-Sober Day in Ireland
We woke up in Kinsale to the clatter of beer barrels rolling down the cobblestone street. The ultimate Irish alarm clock! After quickly grabbing coffee and splitting a scone, we started the day in this little sleepy Irish port town by taking a highly recommended walking tour. An old, cheery […]
The Full Irish Experience
“I want to try the Full Irish Breakfast,” I said as the plane was picking up speed down the runway, “As soon as we arrive.” “You will get the Full Irish experience,” I promise you that.” Victor smiled. As the plane lifted off and I closed my eyes, a stray […]
Mexico City: Love at First Sight
I was in a dentist’s chair with my mouth wide open. The dentist, holding his hand deep in my mouth, was eager to chat. “So, where are you traveling next?” “Mmm… meiii… ko …shity,” I muttered, drooling from the side of my mouth. “Say it again.” He said, taking his […]
Mind The Gap: The Gap of Dunloe
After so many years of traveling, I know how to spot a problem in the itinerary. “Let’s talk about the Gap of Dunloe hike,” I said to Victor. “We have three hours to hike 11 kilometers through a mountain pass? Exactly three hours or we miss the boat that takes […]
Pub-Hopping, Pub-Crawling, Pub-Learning: The Truly Irish Experience
Although we repeat that we rarely drink, we finished almost every day of our recent trip to Ireland in a pub. We drank in pubs, we danced in pubs, and once we even slept above a pub. Our travel philosophy of adapting to the customs of the place we visit-and […]
All Aboard the Coffin Ship!
We stood in the queue at the Embarkation area, clutching our boarding passes. Through the windows, we could see Dunbrody, a three-masted sailing vessel, moored at the quayside, its wooden sides gleaming in the sun. A woman, dressed in a dark shawl and clutching a large bag, rushed past us, […]