Having feasted our eyes (and our capacity for awe) on the Mayan ruins, we were ready to cross the road and feast at least a couple of other senses at Choco-Story, an outdoor (sort of) museum dedicated to the history of chocolate and the culture of the local region that has produced it for millennia. … Continue reading Mayan Ruins and Chocolate (Part 2)
December 3, 2021 - Part II > If you're going to visit the Yucatan Peninsula, you simply have to see some Mayan ruins. And the best place to do that is the enormously famous Chichen Itza, right? So we thought. And so we'd planned. It is after all, one of the seven wonders of the … Continue reading Mayan Ruins and Chocolate (Part 1)
Tue. Nov. 30, 2021 Early this morning, we welcomed a couple of new arrivals to Barrio Vivo hostel: two young men from Seattle who work in robotics and computer-related fields -- one is a PhD candidate. These are only the third and fourth fellow Americans we've met here since checking in here. Then we went … Continue reading Anthropology Museum and Theatre Games
Fri. Nov. 26, 2021 When visiting Yucatan, chances are you might want to visit one of its fine beaches. But you can also have a great time in the water, and see some geological wonders to boot, farther inland at the cenotes. What are cenotes? They are sinkholes connected to underground water -- deep pits … Continue reading Seeing Cenotes!
Thu. Nov. 25, 2021 Today was Thanksgiving, but there was no holiday feast as such, since Mexicans don't celebrate the occasion. Yet we managed to make it a memorable one, anyway. We again had breakfast duty at Barrio Vivo the hostel where we are currently volunteering, and at about 7:30, before any staff arrived to … Continue reading Mexican Thanksgiving
There's nothing like a search for buried treasure, and at Crater Of Diamonds State Park you have a chance to search for one of the most valuable treasures of all: diamonds. Not polished and cut, but in their natural state, which makes them more challenging and fun to search for. (Diamonds, by the way, are … Continue reading Mining for Diamonds
Fossil hunting is not just for paleontologists. Although it doesn't hurt to bring one along. We had an excellent one accompany us when we made our first fossil-finding foray. His name is Ashby Gale and he is the owner of Charleston Fossil Adventures, which conducts tours in South Carolina to uncover fossils in places where … Continue reading Fossil Hunt
Jan. 21. 2016: Rome Today's destination is the Roman Forum. But we have to walk a couple of miles to get there, and we have plenty of occasion to take in the splendor of The Eternal City. One thing we are amazed by is the way ancient ruins are casually interspersed among bustling contemporary buildings, … Continue reading Dennis and Kimberly’s Excellent and Epic European Adventure, Day 10
travel with a theatrical flair 