From the balcony of the Hotel Castillo Vista del Angel high on the eastern flanks of Quito, the sky above seems sprinkled with a dew of diamond stars, while below thousands of flickering city lights like radiating fireflies create a fascinating glow. A keen, piercing wind skims across the dramatic volcanic-edged cityscape intensifying the remarkable sensations created by the majestic vista.
During my first trip to Hamburg last year, I was so smitten with the astonishing Elbphilharmonie that I knew I had to return to this Hanseatic city and the celebrated concert hall for another opportunity to imbibe the heady grandeur of this splendid monument to music… and to do more of the things in Hamburg that I had not had time to do during my first visit.
I am thinking of a filthy, disgusting creature that wasn’t invited into your home and just won’t go away. No, this is not a lawyer joke nor am I thinking about your uncle. Because of the types of places, I have gone, particularly third world destinations, war torn countries and disaster sites, I have come to expect cockroaches to be one of my traveling companions or at least my welcoming party. But at least let me begin with some good news.
Padre Pro's last request was to be allowed to kneel and pray. When the firing squad shots failed to kill him, a soldier shot him at point-blank range. Pro had been falsely accused in the bombing attempt of former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón, and had become a wanted man. Betrayed to the authorities, he was sentenced to death without the benefit of any legal process.
Quito, the proud capital of Ecuador, stands majestically beneath wandering clouds that drape the city with long shadows that shift dramatically as the clouds are blown about by fickle weather patterns. At an incredible 9,350 feet above sea level, the city is the second highest official capital city in the world after La Paz, Bolivia.
In a most festive evening, an event aptly named “Magical Kenya,” a gathering took place to celebrate the inauguration of a non-stop flight from JFK to Nairobi. The exciting event was held in the SLS Hotel’s Garden Room. Sponsored by the Kenyan Tourist Board, and hosted by the Honorable Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, the venue was transformed into a visual taste of Kenya with giant, colorful posters decorating the walls lending a peek into what a visitor might experience.
Are we really what we eat? Not sure about that. But judging by the comments of our esteemed travel writers at Traveling Boy, we seem willing to try just about anything from reptiles, bugs and even some tasty surprises from the far corners of the globe. Please Note: Read at your own risk. Piranha I Caught in Peru’s Amazon. Eat …
How is it that women sporting scarlet frocks seem to get songs written about them? Cuban-born crooner and bandleader Desi Arnaz told us that "The fellas are crazy for the lady in red…" and that she was "the toast of the town." And much more recently, Argentine-born, UK-raised Chris deBurgh, gave us his hit "The Lady in Red," in which he intoned, "I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side." Indeed.
Some stories seem too bizarre to believe but this did happen to me. It was 1999. We were working as missionaries in the Philippines. We developed a livelihood program which helped impoverished churches support their pastors in extremely depressed communities. One of the products we trained the people to make was handmade paper from banana plant fibers.
The Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool is the ultimate Beatle experience for the ultimate Beatle fanatic, and if you fit that description, it is well worth the journey. The tour introduces you to over thirty places directly associated with the Beatles and those people who were close to them.
