Get Petra-fied in Jordan “The Treasury” Photo: Bill Wiatrak It’s one of the most impressive archaeological sites I’ve ever seen. After being featured in “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade” and then being named one of the seven wonders of the world, the ancient Jordanian city of Petra was catapulted into international fame. Mobs of tourists started...
I felt like I was in a scene from the film “National Treasure”. I was looking for a map, but not one printed on paper. I walked down the narrow street past the souvenir shops and asked a local for directions. He didn’t speak English so I mimed what I was looking for to the best of my ability until he suddenly grinned and pointed down the road. A century...
If I was given a choice of staying at any hotel room in the USA, there’s one that’s always intrigued me: the Rockstar suite at the Hotel ZaZa. Ever since I saw a photo of its cheetah print carpet, zebra chairs and guitars on the wall, I’ve been a fan of the brand and hoped to sneak a peek someday at this iconic room. The Rockstar Suite at The Museum District ZaZa...
I’d been waiting for immigration to wave me through, but the police seemed much more interested in praying or looking at their phones for it even to register that I’d been waiting on them for nearly an hour. I was the last one in the airport and my bag was lying 50 feet away on the other side of the stanchions. They joked with each other in Arabic, I tried...
Senegal might not be the first country you think of when planning a trip to Africa. However, if you’ve visited the continent before and are looking for something different, it might be the perfect destination. You won’t find safari packages here or Masai warriors in traditional garb. What you will find is very nice people, great food, unique experiences and develop a...
We’ve all seen the picture on Instagram. A pretty girl posing in turquoise water surrounded by hot pink flamingos. No clouds, a sugary white beach, and a frozen tropical drink. Ahhhhhhh…… It’s hard to believe that such a place exists in the real world, but it’s just a 2 1/2 hour flight away from Miami to reach perpetually warm Aruba...
I’ve been curious about Houston’s newest museum since I first heard rumors about it’s opening last year. Besides Seismique’s catchy name and the few pictures I’d seen online, I wondered was it a museum or an art installation? Was it worth visiting? I had a chance to check out this unique experience this week. So what is it? A mixed-media museum featuring bigger than...
Ask any American to point out Uzbekistan on a map or tell you one random fact about it and you’ll discover most know very little or nothing about this wonderful country. The “Stans” have always been a geographical challenge with their long names and confusing images. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my travels, stereotypes are almost always completely wrong...
I had just arrived in Karachi when I got a message from a friend telling me about an artist I should try to meet (not far from where I was staying). Heider Ali turned out to be much more than just an artist; He had painted a Pakistani “jingle” bus that was featured in the Smithsonian and has fathered creations all over the world. He had just completed...
Unless you were doing a road trip in the USA or visiting our amigos south of the border, there wasn’t a lot of vacation options for most of 2020. However, now, with hopes of worldwide vaccinations and international traveling slowly re-opening, people are coming out of their root cellars, looking towards the sky and wondering “what next?”. I just...