Chicago: Keeping the Blues Alive

Today is a special day in Chicago: Buddy Guy celebrates his 90th birthday.  Although we are currently busy writing posts about Uzbekistan, this milestone-and America’s 250th year-makes it the perfect moment to celebrate one of the country’s greatest musical traditions: the blues. At his birthday bashes, Buddy Guy usually tells […]

Not Giving Up on Kymyz

World travelers often disagree about what constitutes “visiting” a country.  What is the minimum requirement that one needs to satisfy? Do you need to stay overnight? Spend a full day? Or is it enough to hang out for a few hours at the airport during a layover without going outside? […]

Uzbekistan: One Conversation at a Time

We were in Margilan, a medium-sized town in the Fergana Valley, on a quick day trip when we stopped at the street market for lunch. We found a tiny café serving hot tea and potato samsas, sat down, and ordered a pot of tea with three samsas to share. As […]

Monterrey, Mexico: World Cup Edition

Back in February, we climbed Cerro de la Silla and marveled at the striking Estadio BBVA from above. There, on the hiking trail, I had an interesting thought: “How cool would it be to see this mountain from the stadium seats during the world’s biggest sporting event?” Later that evening, […]

2026 FIFA World Cup: Hogwarts vs. Narnia

Those who follow this blog know I am a big soccer fan and try to attend games in every country I visit.  This fact is even listed in my section of “About Us” on this website.  So, it won’t surprise anyone that attending the World Cup this summer was on […]

Bosnia and Herzegovina: One Country, Two Regions, Three Nations

By Julia / July 24, 2025

What is a country? It’s a strange question, especially from someone who has traveled extensively.  But the answer is not quite as simple as a glance at a political map might suggest.  We have been to countries that no longer exist (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, USSR), regions that used to be countries […]

Smuggling Molcajete

By Julia / July 16, 2025

One of my most impractical dreams, born from years of travel, is this: I want to decorate each room in my house in the style of a different country.  The bedroom would be designed like a chamber in an Indian palace with ornate fabrics, carved wood, and a hint of […]

Dancing with Chinelos

By Victor / July 2, 2025

The old, battered bus bounced along the road with dusty Mexican countryside rolling past the window. Google Maps on my phone showed we were approaching our destination: Yautepec de Zaragoza. Before the trip, I never imagined going to this small town in the middle of nowhere. And here we were, […]

Rioting in Cuernavaca

By Julia / June 26, 2025

We were enjoying a quiet breakfast of an omelet and sopes on an outdoor patio, taking in the beautiful view of the central plaza. Like so many town squares in Mexico, it featured all the familiar elements: a park, a gazebo, a historic church, and the oversized colorful letters spelling […]

Temazcal in Tepoztlan

By Julia / June 19, 2025

Don’t worry if you don’t understand two out of three words in the title, I will explain everything.  This year, we traveled to Tepoztlan, hiked up and down a mountain, and ended up in a temazcal. Ok, I’ll keep explaining. It was an intense, surreal experience, and I am still […]

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack

By Victor / June 12, 2025

Part III Those of you who follow this blog closely know we are on a lifetime quest to visit all 30 major league baseball ballparks. We are not in any rush to see them all, and it is kind of fun to take this journey slowly to savor baseball trips […]

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