travel

Airbnb — Fantastic If You Know the Ropes

2018, Universe, Various, , , View all 6 comments

My Airbnb cottage on the Greek Island of Lesvos where I awoke to clanging sheep bells and made friends with local chickens.

Airbnb has changed the way I travel. I have stayed Airbnb apartments, houses, farms and cottages all over the world, in places as far flung as Japan, Armenia, Peru, and Sweden. Traveling with Airbnb, I have lived in neighborhoods that most tourists never see. I have cooked and shopped like a local. Best of all, I have met wonderful people I never would have met if I had stayed in a hotel.

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The Angels in the Details

2017, Africa, Argentina, Armenia, art, California, Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Louisiana, Malaysia, New York, Poland, Tanzania, Thailand, Various, View all 16 comments

Sculpture in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

I love taking photographs when I travel, but I am selective about it because cameras can make you an outsider, an observer instead of a participant. One thing I like about having a camera is that, even if I don’t use it, I pay a little more attention to the details.

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Home Sweet Wherever It Is

2017, California, United States, Universe, , View all 21 comments

My “real” home in California

In traditional cultures, where you live is a big part of who you are.  Many Americans, on the other hand, tend to view our communities as way stations to somewhere else. Most of us leave home at an early age and don’t return to raise our kids in the communities where we grew up.  As we age, many of us move again for economic reasons or to be with the grandchildren our children are raising  somewhere else.        Continue reading →

Internal Conflict and Cat Memes

2016, Armenia, Refugees in Greece, Universe, , View all 5 comments
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Chinese symbol for internal conflict

So well, I have a very small problem.  I no longer know whether I have a travel blog or a blog about the world I am seeing.  Since I began my serious traveling in August 2014, I have been writing mostly chirpy stories. Travel makes me happy.  Although I have seen hardship, I guess I saw it through my own optimistic lens. Continue reading →