Bats flapped overhead as I made my way deeper into the cave. A rope handrail helped me navigate steep steps. The air got hotter and steamier as I descended. No wonder the Maya believed caves were the gateway to the underworld. The winding trail finally opened into a large chamber and I saw the … [Read More...]

The Holiest Rock on Earth
It is the holiest rock on Earth, and I touched it. Its surroundings have changed over the past 3.000 years, but the rock has been there since the beginning of time, and it is one of the focal points of many Holy Land tours. One Jewish tradition is that the rock is the place where the world was … [Read More...]

People In The Outaouais Are As Colourful As Their Autumn Leaves
I was startled to realize that the woman in the striped dress was a mermaid. Then I chuckled when I noticed her right … [Read More...]

The Truth About “Survivor Island” Borneo
PULAU TIGA, Malaysia - Producers of the hit TV series Survivor worked hard to make the location of their game show seem … [Read More...]

Secret Sacred Sites
Can You Keep A Secret? It’s risky to write about little-known sacred places. I worry about bringing them to the … [Read More...]

A Wealth Of Attractions Surround The Historic La Posada Hotel In Winslow, Arizona
With more than a dozen prime tourist destinations nearby, it's no wonder that every Santa Fe passenger train on the … [Read More...]

Kenya: The Witch Doctor Is In
The witch doctor sat with human skulls at his feet. My guide said they were the bones of his father and grandfather who … [Read More...]

Malaysia’s Batu Caves – Rapture in a Hindu Temple
Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given about how to benefit from visiting sacred places came from Dr. Jean Shinoda … [Read More...]

Vision Quest Rock Paintings of the Stein
An ancient power spot in a wilderness near Vancouver, BC is easier to find now that the area has become a provincial … [Read More...]

Why I Believe in Fairies
Maybe it’s Shakespeare’s fault, or perhaps the brothers Grimm are to blame, but fairies – like witches – have an image … [Read More...]

Blessed by a Sacred Elephant
The Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai is one of the largest in South India I had to stretch my neck to look up … [Read More...]

Aramu Muru’s Portal: Inter-Dimensional Doorway at Lake Titicaca
Aramu Muru Portal Aramu Muru’s Portal was not on the itinerary of our “Sacred Mysteries of Peru” tour, so visiting it … [Read More...]

Aboriginal Magic in the Land of the Quinkans
The oldest rock paintings on Earth are in the Cape York peninsula of Australia's tropical north Queensland. They were … [Read More...]

Transformed by a Maya Medicine Woman in Belize
The Maya medicine woman smeared a handful of green, aromatic mud onto my forehead, binding it with a strip of cloth, as … [Read More...]