ACROSS THE BORDER – Several travel-related issues along the U.S.-Mexico border are sure to raise some questions on this blog (and they already have started doing so), so I’m going to see if I can address them in this post: Is is safe to go to Tijuana? Is Mexico requiring that I have a passport to go to Tijuana/Mexical/other border cities More
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Traveling in Mexico: Passports and travel advisories, oh my!
Thursday, March 4th, 2010The Great Travel Auction Bazaar
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
When it comes to bidding on airfares, hotels and the like, there’s more than one way to skin William Shatner, if you catch my drift! The concept of bidding for travel is something we all need to understand a little better. If you play the game right, it can save you some serious money. By now, we all know about Priceline.com, if only because they’ve driven us to the edge of madness with all those nutty television commercials featuring the former captain of the starship Enterprise. They’ve made their millions around one simple idea — “name your own price” for travel. More
Refund-less after six months: “I feel as though we have been taken advantage of”
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
ELLIOTT.ORG – Everyone knows airline refunds can take a long time. But how long is too long? A month? Three months? Six months? If you said more than half a year, then meet Haley Richards and her husband, Eric, who have been patient — very patient. More
Hmong Cooking on a Cold Winter Night
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
It feels worlds away and ages ago, those crisp wintry days (and nights) we spent in Wisconsin shortly after Christmas. Jerry and I traveled north from my parents’ place to Wausau, to meet Jim, and to explore the world of Hmong cooking in America. Then south again, to Milwaukee, to taste the Hmong flavors found in local restaurants and markets. The story is now out in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel—and I’m thrilled to see this cuisine getting its due attention these days.
The Measure of All Things Khmer
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010This is the last week to catch an extraordinary Reyum exhibit, Measurements in Khmer Society. It takes you through history, through the market and rice field, through sunrise and sunset, and everything between, to explain every little way in which Khmer people have measured the important stuff of life. The French introduced the meter in the 19th century; before that Khmers relied on their own system for measuring quantity, length, depth, height, size, volume and time. Many of these tools and terms are still used today. More.
When the Lights Go Out in Battambang
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
One night, the lights go out in Battambang, and we are presented with the prospect of candlelight dining. This is a throwback to years past, when generators rumbled through the dark and electricity flickered on and off. We planned a patio dinner anyway; a few flames in the breeze would add ambiance to the meal. More.
Beer Snacks: So Many Ways with Peanuts
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Cambodia drives me to drink. Picture: riverfront sunsets with amber rays, light grazing across cocktail-hour boats and the saffron folds of a monk’s robe. Warm breeze, jasmine air. Pedicabs and pushcarts, buzzing mopeds, rumbling trucks. Kids selling postcards and photocopied books, and a seat at the sidewalk where I can watch it all (this can be said of just about any Khmer riverside town). I sit and sip a $1 draft. Read more.
Khmer BBQ on the Bayon Walls
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
We did something the other day that we hadn’t done in ages: we became tourists for a day. Just as the morning sun cast its butter-colored rays across Siem Reap, we caught a tuk-tuk to the temples. With one-day passes in our pockets, we joined the throngs at Angkor (my, how things have changed!). More.
It’s your world — go see it!
Friday, November 13th, 2009For most of my career, I’ve covered police, fire and paramedics. Basically, if it burned, bled or wore handcuffs, I wrote about it. But anyone who knew me knew what I really wanted to be writing about — travel. Now, finally, I am, via my blog, “I’m Black and I Travel!“