Searching for the peaceful life, at Amanzoe, Greece
Google Amanzoe. Go ahead, I’ll wait. With 156,000 search results, Amanzoe is hardly a well-kept secret. What can I say or write that hasn't already been said or written about this palatial property? How can I uncover beauty not instantly available by scrolling postage stamp-sized squares on the phone? Or, found in a quick Google search? Let me give it a try. But perhaps first, a few things you will find in a quick Google search of Amanzoe, because essentials are still important, naturally. Amanzoe,...
Uganda, what to see beyond the famous silverback gorillas
What to see, where to stay, and what to do, in Uganda / The famous silverback gorillas are certainly what put Uganda on the map for tourism. And rightly so, as it is the only part of the world where one can see these peaceful, majestic primates. There are none in captivity, so in order to spend any time with them, one must be prepared to travel far. And travel far I did, for a fleeting two hours observing them that I wouldn't trade for...
The Mighty Silverbacks of Uganda: How To Find Them
Last January, I received a text from a friend of a friend: ‘Happy New Year! Would you like to go gorilla tracking with me in Uganda?’ I stared at the screen for a nanosecond and wrote back, ‘Yes!’ A nanosecond later, I wrote, ‘Wait... what?’ So began nine months of planning that would eventually take us to see the indigenous Batwa Pygmies, through dusty local villages, over the golden savannah of Ishasha, into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and ultimately, to the magical moment of finding...
Reykjavík, Iceland: ‘Should I go to the Blue Lagoon?’
The first question anyone would ask when I spoke of our upcoming trip to Reykjavík, Iceland was: ‘Are you going to the Blue Lagoon?’ It would lead one to think that it is the only place worth seeing in the entire country. The Blue Lagoon had not originally been on our hit list, as I thought it would be overcrowded and gimmicky. As it turned out, we ended up arranging it at the last minute, just 12 hours before boarding our flight home to DC....
Cumbria. Many Lakes. One Star.
The Lake District may be England's best kept secret. The Lake District, England / Dungeon Ghyll, Crinkle Crags and Harrison Stickle. No, these aren’t characters from a Harry Potter novel, they are the illustrious names for ravines and peaks in the majestic Lake District of England. Where, if you are American, you won’t see a fellow countryman for days and wonder why this place has seemingly escaped our radar. It is a mere four hour drive from London, which by US standards, is a typical...
Cartagena is The Night Circus
Five days in Cartagena, Colombia / “It rained for four years, eleven months, and two days.” —Gabriel García Márquez So wrote Gabriel García Márquez, in his Nobel Prize-winning novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and single-handedly introduced magical realism, the writing style that normalizes fantastical events, to mainstream literature. Simultaneously, Márquez catapulted his native country, Colombia, to the forefront of Latin American tourism. Captivated by his novels for years, and a spring break to plan, Cartagena was calling. I hoped it wouldn’t rain. The Legendary...