My family came to America from England before the Mayflower. I have French roots among others. I did have three relatives on that little ship however. My wife has traced my family line back...
This is my last posting on North Korea. I mentioned the festival earlier, but I didn’t say enough about it. First of all it is performed in the largest stadium in the world, or...
We took a cruise to Hawaii, Mazatlan and back to L.A. last year. I find cruising very relaxing. I love being at sea and always bring a few good books to read. This cruise...
I guess this is for those of you with a longer timeline. If you want to be a success and have a comfortable retirement, do some planning. I came from a middle class family,...
My wife and I have done 14 cruises in different parts of the world. We are off in September to Iceland and Greenland and then later in the new year we’re doing the Mississippi...
Do you like what you see happening around you these days in our cities who’s politicians refuse to enforce laws regarding pedestrian access and loitering. If you do, then vote for one of the...
This is a longer bit than usual. Bermuda has a great deal of history and is a very interesting place. The people come in all hues and are very friendly. The main island is...
Since I have no plans for a trip until October, I thought I might write about some more trips that we have have done and that I haven’t written about yet. I might do...
We left our hotel in the early morning. There was no crowd. This is not a place where many tourists come to, sadly. It is a beautiful place and the people were wonderful. This...
This city of Ashgabat has been planted with more trees than you can imagine. They are planted in groups all over the city and outlying areas. The terrain is hilly and nearly every valley...
We drove to Nisa, today. It took almost forty-five minutes. There is no traffic here. It is a beautiful ghost town. It has the same feeling as Pyongnang except that this city is beautiful....
We went to the Savitsky Art Museum yesterday. Savitsky was an artist. He collected thousands of paintings from many other artists for safe keeping. He preserved them from destruction by the Soviets and left...
We are leaving Khiva today for Nukus, the sixth largest city in Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan and famous for its art museum. That is not a spelling...
Legend says that Khiva is where Noah’s son, Shem, found water in the desert. Archeologists have found evidence of human habitation here as far back as the 5th century B.C. It was a fortress...
The food on this trip has been great. In Kyrgistan, where our guide is from, there were three salads served. There was a tossed green salad, a noodle salad made with vermicelli and bell...
I want to talk about the bath mats. That is correct, the bath mats. I have “family” in Japan. They like foot stimulators. You know, those wooden foot shape torture devices for making your...
May 4th – Saturday – Day 14 Today we leave for Khiva. We will pass through the Kyzyl Kum or Red Sand Desert today. We are on the same route as the Camel Caravan...
Day 13 – Friday, May 3rd It’s our last day in Bukhara. It is bound to be a lucky one. Today we drive for half an hour to the Bahuddin Nagshband Museum. He was...
Day 11 – Today we are off Early to Shahrisabz. It was originally called Kesh. It was renamed the Green City by Tamer Lam We stopped at Shahrisabz on the way to Bukhara. Shahisabez...
I am taking a few days off for the holiday recognizing our veterans. My wife is a veteran and rightly proud of her service. We often have conflicting feelings when traveling to countries that...
Day 10 Tuesday April 30 -Shah-I-Zinda We visited the Shah-i-Zinda or “place of the living king” today. It faces modern Samakand. The mauselium remains cool and shady under the afternoon sun during the hot...
Day 10 – Tuesday, April 30 – Bibi – Khanum Mosque The Bibi – Khanum mosque is the largest mosque in the world. There are others under construction which may be larger when finished,...
This is a short interlude where I ask why these Muslims of different points of view on their common religion here can get along with each other and the other religions that are practiced...
Day 9 – Monday, April 29 – Bukhara, Tashkent and Samarkan We are off on the bullet train to Samarkan today. The train journey took just over two hours and ran through some of...
Day 8 – Sunday, April 28 – Khujand, Tashkent Uzbekistan We are in Uzbekistan again. The geography is such that we cross into it again on our way to our next country. We seem...
Day 7, Saturday April 27 – Fargana and Khujand, Tajikistan We left our bus at the border again and passed through customs. We are leaving Kyrgyzstan and entering Tajikistan. There is a wide “no...
Day 6, Friday April 26 – What’s that smell? We have been riding around the countryside in a large newish bus. The air has smelled like natural gas since the beginning of the tour....
Day 6 – Friday, April 26 – Fergana – Margilan, Kokand and Rishtan The Tien Shan Mountains frame the Fergana Valley. The Syr Darya River tributaries flow into the valley and feed its crops....
Day 5 – Thursday, April 25th – Osh This morning we flew to Osh after a short drive to the small airport. The flight was uneventful other than for a little female passenger spill...
Day 4- Wednesday, April 24 Bishkek We have arrived in town after another long drive. It is late afternoon and we have arrived at our lodgings for the night. We are staying at the...
