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 […]
Cancun Surprised Us…It’s Damn Nice Here
I’m liking Cancun much more than I thought. I remember running into a very suave tourism official, Emilio,while I was on a river cruise in Pittsburgh back in June. As the boat made its way up the Ohio River, all of the passengers were either journalists, PR folks or Tourism […]
The Earliest Residents of Cancun Had Iron Guts
A brilliant sunrise got us out of bed early in our hotel, the sun beaming right into our faces. It was an opportunity for Cindy to practice with her new Lumix camera, trying again and again to get that line out of the shot when she shot into the sun. […]
In January, Cancun Feels Mighty Right
We’re kicking back, a Saturday afternoon on Mexico’s Caribe. The ocean out there is turquoise, then it blends to a slightly darker shade of blue. We’re in a place that I once thought I’d never visit…Cancun! Never say never. That’s because GoNOMAD espouses the philosophy of visiting the less-visited. We […]
Leave Eric Alone–Being Shy Isn’t Self-Centered!
Today is a whirlwind and not in a good way. I feel discombobulated and of course, unprepared for my trip to Mexico tomorrow. I’ll be gone a week, and we’ll be spending time at a beachfront hotel with a stunning pool and lots of time to do…nothing. I’m not sure […]
Two Women, Two Studios, a Hallway in Between
Every so often somebody leaves a copy of the NY Times at the cafe, and today I picked it up and found an article about a unique and appealing living situation. It was headlined “To Each Her Own” and was about two women friends who live in a giant apartment […]
A Negative Example or a Boost for Hamas?
The WSJ never fails to be a treasure trove of tidbits that fascinate and entertain me. Sometimes I forget to bring it home–and then dutifully drive back to the office to fish it out of recycling. It’s just that good. I learned today about how an Israeli colonel believes that […]
We Were All Set to Watch it on the ‘Net…Not Yet
The Inauguration in all its glory is now history. I’m sure Justice John Robert’s gaffe during the oath will be replayed for decades. At the cafe, we were all psyched to watch the whole historic darn thing on our computers. I had my tech wizard Joe Obeng here late Monday […]
Shooting, Scaring, and Other Means to Keep Birds at Bay
The other day I felt priviledged to tell a guy in the cafe the whole story about the plane that landed in the Hudson. As if living under a rock, on Friday he hadn’t heard the tale yet. I found out more about how airports deal with the problem of […]
Perl Loves the Amherst Quirks that Irk Larry
On the basketball court, they called him Perl. For some reason I didn’t get that it was a shortened version of his last name, Perlmutter. Instead I thought it was an homage to Earl the Pearl, of the flashy 1960s Knicks. I read about Perl today, he took over my […]
I Did Have a Moustache…Really I Did!
Outside a new blanket of snow quiets down Mountain Road. It’s cozy as we all sit around in our bathrobes, sip coffee and wake up. Cindy has come up and last night we watched a movie. Or should I say, I watched it after the rest of the people went […]
Twitter: A Cooler Way to Blog in Little Bursts
Twitter is providing me with lots and lots of cool links and ideas. I am now officially a fan! Not only have I found articles that really provided me with great ideas (like one about the top ten ways Twitter can help a business do better on line) but I’ve […]
A Contest for the Intern Spot at GoNOMAD.com
Interns are a great help to us at GoNOMAD. As we have joined our fellow businesses in seeing the fragility of the market, and the downward trend in business, we always can use people to help us out with tasks. There are now three UMass students who want to be […]