Category: Off-the-beaten-path

Culture / History / Off-the-beaten-path / Off-the-cuff / South America

Jewish Holocaust Memorial – Montevideo, Uruguay

While walking along the Montevideo waterfront, I happened upon a plaque which announced (in Spanish) the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. So I followed the short path toward the waterline to check it out. The memorial itself is very simple yet incredibly powerful. It consists entirely of just two sections of sea...

Active / Nature / Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Tropics

Iguazú: The best waterfall you’ve never heard of… before today

Reportedly, upon seeing Iguazú Falls, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed, “Oh poor Niagara!” Having been to both, I can say that Iguazú is by far the more impressive of the two. It is several times larger. Like Niagara, Iguazú Falls marks the border between two countries. In this case, Argentina...

Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Wandering

Argentina Beyond Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires may be the largest city in Argentina and the most European in all of the Americas, but Argentina is a huge country and there is a whole lot more to it than just Buenos Aires. I can’t claim to have seen much of Argentina outside its principle city....

Africa / Laid-back / Middle East / Off-the-beaten-path

Humongous market bazaar in downtown Cairo

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...

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Off-the-beaten-path / South America

Worst (or Best) Taxi Ride Ever

You might say he was in the wrong line of work. A taxi driver whose driving skills are basic at best and who doesn’t know his way around his own city. He not only had to use GPS but also stop to ask directions. Four times! I’ll be the first...

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Nature / Off-the-beaten-path / USA / Wandering

Dinosaur Fossils and the Indestructible Camera

“Look straight down,” the balloonist told us, “you see that dirt road that kind of squiggles off to the left? If you were to follow it down into that canyon you’d end up at a bunch of dinosaur fossils.” “Real fossils?” “Yes. Still embedded in the rocks. There’s a walking...