I love mysteries, whether they unfold on the page or echo from a craggy rock formation in the high desert of southwestern Colorado. Crisp, fall air drew me to the twin peaks of Chimney Rock National Monument last fall, during a road trip through New Mexico and Colorado. After clambering up the steep trail to the top for a 360-degree view of the San Juan Mountains, I was captivated by the legends linking this isolated outpost to the ancient Chaco culture. Ancestral Puebloans, as they...
When our tour guide in Cuba married his high-school sweetheart, the couple had two choices: move in with his parents and grandparents in an already crowded apartment or share the porch with another couple in the tiny dwelling of her extended family. They chose the porch. There were no other options for the newlyweds in Havana in the early 2000s. Anthony DePalma’s new book, “The Cubans” reminded me of the stories I heard about ordinary Cubanos when I visited the island-nation on a small...
Elephants in Texas? No way. That’s what I thought until I spent a September afternoon with five gregarious pachyderms at the Hill Country Elephant Preserve outside of Stonewall, Texas—about 65 miles west of Austin. I learned about the preserve while perusing a list of typical businesses on the website of the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce. Immediately curious because I’m fascinated by elephants, I emailed the preserve for more information. An invitation to join an “elephant experience” arrived a few days later. I followed Google maps...
The glowing orange sphere slowly peaked above the dark walls of the “Grand Canyon of Texas,” illuminating subterranean spires, buttes, and mesas bathed in soft terra cotta colors. Watching the stunning sunrise over Palo Duro Canyon was well worth skipping soggy scrambled eggs and dry bacon from the hotel breakfast buffet. But I was sorry I waited so long. Palo Duro Canyon State Park has been on my travel list almost since I moved to Texas two decades ago. But every time I was near...
When I bought a ticket to ride the narrow-gauge train from Durango to Silverton last summer, my only concern was nabbing a window seat for views of the San Juan Mountains. Unfortunately, riders on the historic train face more challenges this year. The “Baby Train,” as it is sometimes called, is running again — sort of. Shut down by the coronavirus pandemic in March, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNGRR) was ready to roll again in June when businesses in southwestern Colorado began...
Sao Paulo – Brazil’s biggest city was not on my bucket list. Rio de Janeiro, yes; Manaus in the Amazon rainforest, definitely. But I was pleasantly surprised by the sprawling business capital of the largest country in South America during a visit in early October 2018. This city of some 20 million is packed with eclectic museums, edgy architecture, and vibrant graffiti art. Designer shops, award-winning restaurants, elegant accommodations, and high-energy night clubs abound throughout the city’s multi-ethnic neighborhoods. And the gregarious Paulistanos, as locals...
My trip to India began with a festive Hindu wedding in Kolkata. It ended after a mesmerizing sitar performance in a musician’s home in Varanasi, a visit with elephants rescued by a conservation center in Mathura and a walk through a Delhi slum with a young man who grew up there and now hopes to be an actor. Oh, I also saw the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Amer Fort in Jaipur and the Mahatma Gandhi museum in Delhi. The must-see sites of India are indeed captivating. But I...
A fast-moving Caribbean storm chased us off the idyllic, mostly empty Cuban beach. The wind almost whipped the towel out of my hand as I pushed the key card into the door of our third floor hotel room. Nothing happened. Tried again. Nothing. By the time my companion returned with a new card — and news of a power outage — rain was coming down in sheets. Though we escaped the tropical deluge, our neighbor’s room flooded in the all-inclusive, government-owned resort near Trinidad. When...
As a journalist, I’ve written about crime for newspapers, business deals for magazines, cruise ship ports for online travel publications and industry trends for websites. My focus now is exclusively on travel.