The man with the sickle was passing sheaves of long grass to the thatcher on the roof, but the dozen tourists on the nearby watchtower ignored this picturesque operation. Their eyes were trained on the freshwater pond and the adjacent patches of jungle that had been cleared to make the tigers easier … [Read More...]
Barkerville Celebrates its Chinese Heritage
The glow from hundreds of candle-lit paper lanterns provided the only light as we paraded up the dirt street into Canada's oldest Chinatown. I was marching in the ninth annual Mid-Autumn Festival in the historic town of Barkerville, British Columbia. One of the most important holidays of the … [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...]
Earth’s Three Most Powerful Places
When people find out I’m a travel writer who focuses on pilgrimages to places of power, they frequently ask me, “What … [Read More...]
Cave Art, Architecture And Ghosts Near The Grand Canyon
We bounced along a deeply-rutted dirt road from the Indian cave with its 3,000 year old petroglyphs and pictographs. We … [Read More...]
Peru Beyond Machu Picchu
Although Machu Picchu is the highlight of most trips to Peru, it is certainly not the only destination. When my wife and … [Read More...]
Holy Wells and Healing Water
To the modern, rational mind, the idea of miraculous cures from holy wells sounds, at best, illogical. But with so many … [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...]
Yucatan, Land of the Mayan Rain God
Bats flapped overhead as I made my way deeper into the cave. A rope handrail helped me navigate steep steps. The air got … [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...]
Exploring Brisbane Australia
My trip to Queensland began with a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane. The trip took nearly twelve hours, and I … [Read More...]
Memories of Route 66 still live in St. Louis
It happened more than 60 years ago, when Bobby and Cynthia Troup were driving to California. Bobby was a composer and … [Read More...]
Tampa Bay Wildlife Safari
The giraffe's enormous tongue gently plucked a green leaf from my outstretched hand. "Prehensile," our guide … [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...]