I wasn’t sure “Down Under” was the right umbrella term for my next trip. I was thinking “Down Under” might refer specifically to Australia. But according to Wikipedia, The term Down Under is a colloquialism differently construed to refer to Australia and New Zealand, or the Pacific island countries collectively. The term originally referred solely to Australia and gradually expanded in scope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Under In two weeks…
I’ve spent the last two weeks in Oaxaca. My main purpose in coming here was to study Spanish. I enrolled in the Spanish Immersion School for 5 hours of lessons each day, Monday through Friday. The other reason for visiting Oaxaca was to visit Oaxaca! Famous for great food and for being a delightful city,…
The other night I had dinner at El Destilado. I made the reservation before I got to Oaxaca based on reading several articles recommending it. When I booked, they asked me to specify whether I wanted to order off the menu or go with one of their tasting menus. And with the tasting menu, they…
I’m getting ready to go to Oaxaca for two weeks. My main objective is a Spanish immersion program. My other objective is good food. Here’s my plan.
Here’s my report on the ten-day road trip Luis and I took to the states of Guanajuato, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí. In December I shared the itinerary, and you might find it interesting to open that post alongside this one and compare the expectations with the outcomes. I’m illustrating this post with a few…
This is a story about finding our cabin in Pinal de Amoles. And more. When I started writing this, it was the morning of Day Four in our road trip to the states of Guanajuato, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí. The agenda for this trip is to visit twenty Pueblos Mágicos and to see some great…
As the year is about to end, I thought I’d take a look back at 2023 and remember the highlights and lowlights of the year. This was one of the busiest travel years I’ve ever had. I spent a total of 85 days away from home, and I visited five countries, all of them for the…
I’m getting ready for another Mexican road trip. You may recall my last road trip, to see the Pueblos Mágicos in Zacatecas and Aguascalientes. This time I’ll be hitting the states of Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, and Guanajuato, and there are twenty Pueblos Mágicos on the itinerary. And Luis and Taco will both be along…
Luis and I took advantage of a long holiday weekend (Día de la Revolución Mexicana) to visit the Pueblo Mágico of Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán. We booked an Airbnb just two blocks from the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, the center of the town, and we brought Taco with us too. We all had…
Are you going to Europe for the first time? Or maybe thinking about your first independent trip after a few tours? If so, here are some great European travel tips based on the Twenty Top Topics I’ve seen people ask about on travel forums, plus stuff I’ve learned based on personal experience. Maybe you’re going…
My original plan to visit Petra was as part of an OAT tour that was primarily in Israel. When war broke out last week, I was in Egypt on another OAT tour. I had to scramble to make alternative plans, and I ended up booking two nights at the Esperanza Hotel in Wadi Musa. Instead…
I flew from Cairo to Amman on Tuesday, arriving around 3:30 pm, found my driver, and made the three-and-a-half hour trip to Wadi Rum. I arrived after dark, just in time for dinner at 8pm. And after a little gathering around a fire and a cup of tea, it was time for bed.