It’s milking time. Again. All hands on deck. The women of the Kazakh nomad community in Western Mongolia are in all-out commando mode. Their tongues click and arms wave as they chase their herds of goats and sheep into a pen. Hundreds of hooves dart this way and that, swirling and spinning, trying to avoid what’s […]
I love solo travel but that doesn’t always mean that I am necessarily alone. The more interested I become in photography, the more I enjoy taking small photo tours/workshops to explore my wish list destinations. The Benefits are Threefold 1. I discover a new place. 2. I improve my photographic skills by learning from professionals […]
I remember musing that an American wedding planner would think I’d lost my mind. Wrestling? You want wrestling at your wedding?! Her shock giving way to complete bewilderment and horror when I followed up with…..and, we’ll want a horse race too. A Kazakh Wedding Tradition: The Wrestling Begins I scanned the celebration and grinned. This […]
We sit on the ground around a low wooden table waiting for the day to begin. It’s overcast, threatening rain, and the ger is dim, throwing everything into monochrome. A pot of boiling milk sits on top of a battered wood-burning stove in the center of the room, and I watch as steam rises into […]
It’s been a while since my adventure in western Mongolia with photographer Timothy Allen and seven fellow photography lovers, and yet I still think of it all the time. We camped in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, a vast and profoundly beautiful and pristine expanse where we met the world’s most tolerant and gracious […]
A while back, I was featured in a USA Today article entitled Life-changing travel: Bloggers share their magical moments. In it, I talked about my trip to Machu Picchu – a destination that was a first for me on many fronts. A few weeks later I received an email from Marilyn Ball, a vivacious southerner […]
If you’re looking for something a little different and delicious, try Amita Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok—a few hours in a garden kitchen is a perfect way to spend a few yummy hours. A couple of years ago I was in a bit of a quandary over a 24-hour layover in Bangkok on my way […]
Vienna is as beautiful as all the travel books say, and even though the city was grayed by cold unpleasant weather, its gorgeous historic architecture and easy navigation made my short trip memorable. Below are some of the things that struck my fancy and other things that were so-so, plus some suggestions to consider if […]
Creating a great travel portrait isn’t always easy, but it can be incredibly rewarding and lead to memories that will last a lifetime. I sat down with Jennifer Spelman, known for her engaging and poignant street photography, and who led my Santa Fé Photographic Workshops tour of Havana, Cuba about her tips for making compelling […]
Walk through Washington Square Park on a beautiful spring day and you’ll be met with a cacophony of sound: Children laughing, dogs barking, the splash of the water fountain, the ever-present rumble of passing vehicles, and the tangled sounds of some of the best street musicians the city has to offer. The park is a ten-acre […]