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Me: “So Jack, how do I meet a Brazilian girl?” David: “It’s pretty simple. Here in Rio, the locals are called Cariocas. You wanna meet a Carioca girl, just make eye contact, go up to her and say hello.” Me: “But won’t that be too forward?” David: “Are you kidding? Rio is the flirtiest city […]

Greek artwork, yes! Roman artwork, meh! Ever since seeing the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum, with their sinuous, flowing togas that cling to the figures like a wet t-shirt contest, I became a bit biased towards Greek Art vs. Roman Art. Roman art always seemed kind of distant and stylized to me, compared with […]

I took a few semesters of art history in college. I like art museums; I really do. But surely there’s a more interesting way to display art than simply hanging it on a wall, indoors, behind a plane of clear plexiglass. Wasn’t art made for interaction? Funny you should ask. On an obscure island in […]

“What’s up with that sculpture in the middle of the intersection, Donica?” “I don’t know, Dave, but it seems to be coming alive!” To travel is to be constantly surprised, especially when you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. My girlfriend (and one-day wife) and I have flown up […]

Travelers are selfish people. When we discover a site that really feels special, we tend to keep it a secret, thinking, “How can we keep this place out of the guidebooks? How can we keep it entirely to ourselves! Private! Unspoiled! Untouched! Ours!” It’s true that the arrival of tourists isn’t always the best thing […]

In Wow Place #47 (Udaipur, India), I shared with you my passion for visiting places featured in my favorite TV shows and movies. Another such place is Laggan, Scotland, the location where they filmed the great BBC TV show, Monarch of the Glen. Not familiar with it? Monarch of the Glen, which ran for 7 […]

Hey all,I was lucky enough last week to spend some time with travel blogger Jonny Blair, author of the wildly popular "Don't Stop Living." Here's the transcript of our interview: Who are you? --I am Jonny Blair, a backpacking, whackpacking tourist who has travelled extensively around the world since leaving my homecity in 2003. I'm [...]

You always remember your first kiss, as the saying goes. I would add to that statement, “You always remember your first Egyptian Temple.” With all respect to the majestic temples in Luxor, my favorite temple along the Nile in Egypt is the unassuming Philae Temple in Aswan. It’s got an interesting back story, too. Currently […]

I feel about Kyoto, Japan the same way I feel about Florence, Italy: it’s just too touristy! Almost everywhere you go in Kyoto, the sheer volume of foreign visitors overwhelms the attractions, turning them into mini Disneylands. Okay sure, no visitor to Kyoto wants to miss its world-class site: the Golden Pavilion, the Silver Pavilion, […]

“I think we’re going the wrong way, Dave.” “Can’t you hear the waterfalls, Donica? They must be nearby.” “Yeah, well, this ‘trail’ of ours is turning into a deer path. We need to turn back.” “But we’re SO close!” I’m a stubborn guy when it comes to directions. Most of the time I do get […]