The Tent Where All the Action is at the Javits
We dutifully forked over another thirty bucks to get the Wi-Fi at the booth, so now I can show you all the tent that we’re using here at the show. Our staff artist Dave Chouinard created some excellent signage, as he does for the cafe and the website, and his […]
A Party Full of Youngsters, A Tent That Stands Out
We’re in the big Apple for the next three days, meeting friends, reader and advertisers who all know us through GoNOMAD. Last night Kent and I took a long, circituitous taxi ride down to the lower East Side to a bar called Lolita. Packed in like sardines, 20-somethings guzzled drinks, […]
Another Man’s Music, Another Man’s Porn
I bought a used ipod Touch the other day, and it came on a messy looking taped up box. It has an engraving, that says ‘Verlyne megan miller’and ‘be humble’ beneath. After I charged it up, I opened some of the icons on the touchscreen and was given a window […]
BusinessWest Heralds Our Little Towne
A most excellent article just came out about my favorite little towne. I had a fun time with the writer from BusinessWest, Joe Bednar, with whom I spent part of an afternoon with a few weeks ago trumpeting how great Deerfield is. At one point I took him outside of […]
A Sister Casts a Wary Eye
Nathan smiles for the camera, but sister Sofie is a little wary pictured in her party dress.
Pittsburgh’s a City with a Big Heart and Six Rings
Last night we were amazed to see the change in the score. Suddenly, the Cardinals looked like they might squeak it out. We all watched as the Steel Curtain went down. Wow! I have good memories of my visit last June to this small city of just 400,000 with with […]
Free Wi-Fi, No Password? Si, Senor, Si!
Because of the nature of our business, using Wi-Fi and being connected is very important when we’re traveling. With the ‘Net in the room, I feel up to date, and in touch with back home. One of the nice things about the two places we stayed in Mexico is that […]
A Gaggle of Waiters Serve Just a Few Customers
Despite our life of luxury and relaxation here in Puerto Morelos, we’re not that far from all of the bad news that keeps piling up in the US. We read the Miami Herald’s Cancun edition and except for the few pages that promote “The Amazing Whale Shark,” or “How Xcaret […]
Lazy Day in Puerto Morelos, Mexico
Just 6,000 people live here in Puerto Morelos, and though there are plenty of American and Canadian tourists, it is full of Mexicans going to school, going out fishing and running bustling restaurants and cafes. We visited a bookstore with lots of used books in English, and met a woman […]
My Feet & This Water Started Out Clean…Really!
What comes out of your feet if you soak them in a bath with negative and positive ions? I am still not sure what it was, but tonight, under the instruction of Gloria Guerrero, I placed my feet in a bath and watched as it filled up ten minutes later […]
The Coffee Basket Wakes Us in the Morning
Imagine: a press trip with a whole day of absolutely nothing. Today’s such a day, the equivalent of a leisurely Sunday morning. We’ve covered the attractions, met some of the interesting people, filed a slew of blogs and photos and now…well it’s time to kick back. The day begins with […]
Swimming, Hiking and Marvelling at Rio Secreto
About two years ago, an amazing network of watery underground chambers were discovered beneath the vast Yucatan jungle. They were just a few of the thousands of cenotes, sinkholes formed over millions of years partly as a result of the catastrophic meteor hit that took place in the sea just […]
Zipping Down the Zip-line, Plunging into the Cenote
Sustainable tourism is a robust business and employs many people in places like the Yucatan. This afternoon I learned how one company has brought jobs and a lot of revenue by a simple formula. Selvatica offers American and Canadian tourists some adrenaline, a plunge in a natural pool, a simple […]
Mexico, Where Have You Been All My Life!?
When I called my dad to tell him I was heading to Mexico, he groaned. “Oh Cap, do you know they’re having a civil war down there?” He groaned too, upon my announcement of trips to Iran and Colombia. But as with those trips, fear hasn’t been on the agenda […]
The Title Says a lot: Prof of Sustainable Tourism
One of the hallmarks of my press trips is meeting ‘interesting locals’ wherever I am. To do this I ask my hosts to find people I can interview and get a feel for the local zietgeist. It never fails to produce quote-worthy people who offer us unvarnished views of politics, […]
Spider Monkeys in the Trees of the Yucatan
Spider monkeys weren’t the only things we gasped and said were soooo cute during our day with the Mayans. This little girl took to Cindy and we enjoyed meeting her and her family as they brought us into their home and served us dinner. The tortillas were made on the […]
Ecotourism with Mayans Near Cancun
Governments can do some good things, but the real heavy lifting is often done by NGOs, or non-governmental organizations. We rode out to Nuevo Durango this afternoon, with Jesus Mesa del Castillo Bermejo who does good work for Kanche helping develop tourism and other endeavors among the Mayan people of […]
In a Pumpkin Patch, A Cave Entrance is Found
Arsenio Hau’s uncle was picking pumpkins when they found a big hole in the field, covered by vines. He fell part of the way in, and he got trapped. When he was rescued with ropes and they shined flashlights down the hole, they discovered the Caverna Nueva Vida, or New […]