The stone seemed alive with elephants, snakes, gods, goddesses, cats, mice and hundreds more fascinating creatures from Hindu folklore. They were inside the world's largest bas relief sculpture, more than 88 feet wide and 30 feet high. What made the enormous stone carving even more amazing was the … [Read More...]
Durian: the World’s Most Repulsive Fruit Moves Upscale
KUALA LUMPUR - “No Durians Allowed” has long been the rule in hotels, taxis, tour buses and airplanes throughout Southeast Asia, due to the fruit’s powerful, foul smell. But now the durian is sharing retail space with such designer labels as Tiffany, Hermés, Gucci, Faberge and Cartier. In July, 2000 … [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...]
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...]
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...]
Swimming With Dolphins in Orlando
Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida, is an all-inclusive getaway that truly is a world all its own. Unlike so many theme … [Read More...]
Walking With Ghosts In Vancouver’s Haunted Gastown
I'd walked past the place hundreds of times without knowing that so many people had been killed there. A block south of … [Read More...]
10 Must-See Sacred Spaces in Peru that are Not Machu Picchu
The old saying about the journey being more important than the destination was never more appropriate than when I went … [Read More...]
Pisac, Earth Mother Temple in Peru’s Sacred Valley
I would love to go back to Peru, but on my next trip I wouldn’t necessarily return to Machu Picchu. The places that … [Read More...]
British Columbia First Nations Attractions Entertain and Inspire
I watched in fascination as the two men carved away slivers of wood from the pole. Stylized figures of animals and … [Read More...]
What is a Pilgrimage?
A pilgrimage, for me, is what differentiates a tourist from a traveler. While a tourist is happy simply to get away, … [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 … [Read More...]
Stone Circle Magic in Ireland
Stone circles are enchanted places. Across the British Isles are numerous groups of ancient standing stones associated … [Read More...]
Whale Boat Sails From Downtown Vancouver to Victoria
I gasped in amazement as three killer whales surfaced alongside our boat. Holding out my digital camera, I clicked the … [Read More...]