Adventure / Modes of Transport / Off-the-beaten-path / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published December 15, 2015 · Last modified December 23, 2015
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...
Activities / Nature / Tropics
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published December 8, 2015 · Last modified December 7, 2015
With my face in the water I can hear nothing but the sound of my own breathing. I am enveloped in a peaceful, tranquil, blue world. One filled with sea turtles. A lot of people talk about what a fantastic experience it is to swim with dolphins. Admittedly, the idea...
Adventure / Modes of Transport / Nature / Off-the-beaten-path / USA / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published December 1, 2015 · Last modified November 24, 2015
“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...
Adventure / Facts & Trivia / Nature / Tropics
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published November 27, 2015 · Last modified November 17, 2015
Most people have a fairly romantic notion of swimming beneath a waterfall. I’ve done it. More than once. You’ve probably never given this much thought but there are different types of waterfalls. When fantasizing about swimming under a waterfall, most people think about what’s called a free-standing waterfall. That’s where...
I’ve always had a knack for making birthdays and holidays special. Even when getting caught up in the materialistic, consumer culture of America, I still tried to put my own special twist on it. On literally the day my daughter was born we had a “zero birthday” party for her....
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published September 9, 2015 · Last modified November 17, 2015
“Are you crazy?!” “You’ll starve to death.” “You’re going to end up mugged or killed.” “Why would you put your daughter in harm’s way like that?” “How are you going to communicate?” I heard all that and more. As my daughter’s 18th birthday approached, I told her that I was...
Adventure / History / Modes of Transport / USA
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 16, 2014 · Last modified November 17, 2015
With a great deal of chuffing, 500 tons of steel slowly begins inching along. Not even walking speed. Trees and landmarks creep by the windows. The brass fixtures and polished wooden trim speak of a bygone era. An era most of us have never seen firsthand and yet, one which...
Adventure / Africa / Logistics / Nature
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 2, 2014 · Last modified March 17, 2014
Full disclosure: This isn’t my story, it’s my friend Tommy’s. Tommy is a super adventurous traveler. He’s also an absolute train fanatic. He loves trains, especially old steam trains. He travels all over the world just to ride on interesting trains that are still in service. A few years ago...
There are just some things that grab your attention. Driving down a back-country highway on a long road trip, I heard someone in the car say, “Oh look, a slave cemetery.” How can you not stop for something like that? My ex-girlfriend and I (back when we were still dating)...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published March 19, 2014 · Last modified February 24, 2014
People who have never been to Machu Picchu, and probably even a few who have, don’t really grasp how enormous it is. Machu Picchu is so much more than the ruins of a few stone buildings on some remote mountaintop. It was a whole village. In fact, in its day...