TRAVELS & ADVENTURES
Cliff and I get off the plane in Madagascar after a 28-hour marathon from the USA. Bleary eyed, I'm thinking to myself, "How in the world did Cliff come up with this one?" The answer consists of one word: "lemurs."
As the summer approached this year and I perused my calendar, I began thinking about where my travels have taken me. I made a decision many years ago to travel internationally while my health and stamina were up to the challenge of navigating time zone changes and language barriers; however, I was always aware that there are endless places to see in the United States, and you don't need a translator to visit them. With this in mind, I made a conscious decision to start seeing our national parks. I zeroed in on Acadia National Park on Maine's beautiful Atlantic coast to start with. It was a great move! Let me tell you about my experience there.
My wife, Lisa, and I have been touring in Ecuador. We've been hearing about a cool market that some say is one of the most important and spectacular in all of Latin America. That's enough for me. This place deserves a visit.
I've been planning this trip to South America for quite some time. It has been fun taking the long way by bus and boat over the Andes from Chile to Argentina. We've spent time in Bariloche which is a really cool place. Buenos Aires, the "Paris of South America," has been fascinating to tour; however, the culmination of the trip is at hand: the Iguazu Falls. I'm psyched.
I'm in Gloucester in Cape Ann on the north shore of Boston where I come every summer. This year I've made it in time for the Greasy Pole Contest, an extravaganza that is well worth seeing. I grab my camera and head to Gloucester Harbor where I know, if the weather cooperates, I'll get good photos of the locals participating in the annual event.
I'm in Mexico for Alissa Malzman and Justin Sterling's destination wedding. I've scoured the map already and know that the location of their ceremony is within driving distance of Chichen Itza, the great Mayan architectural site on the Yucatan Peninsula. I've got my camera and have hired a driver and a guide. There is only one problem. I'm sick! I have a temperature of 101 degrees, chills, and early laryngitis. Oh well...I'm not getting this close to a pre-Columbian colossus and staying in my motel room staring at the ceiling. I take 2 Tylenols and hop in the car for what I know will be a mind-expanding experience.
Lisa and I got married in Gloucester, MA, and have been spending part of each summer there for 30 years. Each year I have systematically explored the beauty of the Cape Ann area and have been amazed by how there is always new territory worth investigating. With that said, there was one area in the back of my mind that I had heard about over the years named Dogtown. I knew what it was but had no idea how to get there. I had also heard that if I found it, I could easily get lost, which did not originally interest me, having already experienced this in Mljet, Croatia. Today, I would like to introduce you to this hidden treasure of local historical significance.
We've been in Cusco, Peru, for several days now, seeing the great sights of this ancient city and taking day trips to the surrounding areas. There is another reason to spend a few days in this entrance to the Sacred Valley. We found out that Cusco is 11,150 feet above sea level. The time spent here allows us to acclimatize to the altitude before hitting Machu Picchu, hopefully avoiding altitude sickness. That's OK. Today we're going to the Pisac Market. I love markets! Let's check it out.
We've been cruising up the Mediterranean coast on the western side of Turkey. Today's stop is at Ephesus, an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia near Selcuk in Izmir Province. We've had our share of adversity on this trip so far with diarrhea, lost bags, and cloudy weather; however, on this day there is not a cloud in the sky.
Today, I'm in Nevada, USA, and have decided to hit an extremely interesting site called the Red Rock Canyon. I've been reading up on the Anasazi Indians and I expect to find remnants of their civilization chiseled into the magnificent red stone of this area.
