Modes of Transport / Sedate / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 30, 2018 · Last modified January 28, 2018
Travel by bus is quite common throughout South America. While I’m sure some have visions in mind of a “chicken bus”, the reality is the polar opposite. There are dozens of bus lines and most of them are quite luxurious. Far more so than in the US. I took a...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 29, 2018 · Last modified January 28, 2018
I don’t know what Buenos Aires is like in winter. I’m told it gets down to freezing but usually not lower. I don’t especially care to find out. What I do know is that it’s positively delightful in summer. Argentines live their lives outdoors. There are enough open air and...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 28, 2018 · Last modified January 21, 2018
This is Buenos Aires as well. Over by the waterfront is Buenos Aires’ business district. While the gleaming, modern chrome-and-glass skyscrapers don’t have the same charm as the old-world European architecture of the more residential areas, this district is very clean. It has wide, tree-lined boulevards. Every part I saw...
The Buenos Aires Theater District is a bit like a classier version of New York’s Times Square and Hollywood’s Walk of Fame both rolled into one. At the end of Avenida 9 de Julio (9th of July Avenue), there is an obelisk that looks an awful lot like a ½ height...
Dining / History / Logistics / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 24, 2018 · Last modified January 20, 2018
The first image in this set is the street I stayed on while I was in Buenos Aires. Throughout many of the neighborhoods of “old” Buenos Aires, the main arterial roads are all standard asphalt. But nearly all of the side streets are narrow cobblestone. Everywhere you look, there are...
Active / Activities / Bucket List / History / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 22, 2018 · Last modified January 20, 2018
I’ve read that dance is a conversation between body and soul. Sometimes that conversation comes in whispers, other times in shouts. Tango is like those passionate cries that make the neighbors blush. Tango is very much a conversation… and a sexy one, at that. The entire conversation takes place strictly with body...
Africa / Laid-back / Middle East / Off-the-beaten-path
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 20, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
As part of my off-the-beaten-path sightseeing tour, Islam and I (and José, an American we met along the way) all went wandering through a gigantic open-air market bazaar in downtown Cairo. Many parts of this place were just like in the movies. Especially after dark, when it took on a...
Africa / Bucket List / Middle East / Modes of Transport
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 18, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
The desert has a certain beauty to it. Perhaps that’s because I grew up in New Mexico. So I know how to appreciate the desert. One of the things that surprises many visitors is the openness, friendliness, and tolerance of Egyptians. My new friend Islam showed me some of the...
Africa / Bucket List / Middle East
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 16, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
Many parts of Cairo defy Americans’ stereotypical expectations of what Egypt should look like. You don’t see pyramids, camels, the Sahara Desert. or any of the other stuff that comes so readily to mind. In fact, some parts of Cairo look downright tropical. The Cairo waterfront, on the banks of...
Dining / Europe / Laid-back / Modes of Transport / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 14, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
On my way to Cairo, Egypt I enjoyed a nine hour layover in Zürich, Switzerland. The duration was deliberate. I had never been to Switzerland and wanted to get out of the airport and go see the place. Zürich is lovely! Oh how I wish the climate suited me better....