On the one hand, India is quite generous and welcoming toward foreign visitors, granting tourist visas for up to a year -- which was what we obtained, knowing we'd be spending several months there volunteering. On the other hand, the government is a stickler about paperwork, and visitors are expected to be able to provide … Continue reading On a Fool’s Errand to Kochi, India
When the month of June landed, it found us getting ready to leave Abu Dhabi. Shouldering our bags, we walked to the bus terminal from our Airbnb on what was already turning out to be another scorcher of a day. And after waiting about an hour for the bus, we had a 45-minute ride back … Continue reading Advancing to India
Seeking out the most economical airfares sometimes requires taking an indirect route, and making a stop in some city we hadn't planned to visit otherwise. And unless we're rushed, we sometimes figure that as long as we have to stop in a place anyway, we might as well spend a couple of days there, or … Continue reading Much Ado in Abu Dhabi
On our last full day in Turkey, we took a long hike to Taksim, which is the contemporary heart of Istanbul just as Fatih (the neighborhood we've been staying in) is the historic heart. First we walked across the Galata Bridge, pausing to admire the really cool tour boats that were somewhat like gondolas but … Continue reading Saying Görüşürüz to Turkey
Istanbul is the only city on the planet that straddles two continents. Most of this sprawling megalopolis of 15 million souls is situated in Asia. But there's also a chunk of it across the Bosphorous Strait, in Europe. That chunk is where most of the historical points of interest are located, and it's where we … Continue reading Istanbul Birthday Weekend
Our flight from Morocco into Barcelona was quite unprecedented. Not just because we'd never been there before. And not just because along the way we had the unprecedented sensation of flying over Gibraltar. But because our landing itself was unlike any we'd experienced before. Leaving Morocco, flying over the Rock of Gibraltar Our aircraft was … Continue reading Bouncing into Barcelona
Casablanca, we'd been hearing from several people who'd been there, is a letdown. It is, they reported, a city for commerce rather than a city for sightseeing. So we were pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Of course, some people who have not been there have an overly glamorized perception of … Continue reading Here’s Looking at You, Casablanca
The bus ride from Oulad Teima, where we'd just completed a volunteering assignment, to Marrakesh was rather pleasant and scenic. The monotony of the chanting sounds the driver played on his speakers for nearly the duration of the trip was compensated for and colored by the friendly young woman across the aisle from us who … Continue reading Take me to Marrakesh
Our third and final week in Oulad Teima was only our second week of volunteering at the school; so while it seemed as if we'd been in town forever, we were just getting started with our volunteering when it was time to start wrapping it up. We continued having some chaotic sessions with the younger … Continue reading Oulad Teima Counting the Days
At about 8:00 p.m. on the night of April 2, we landed in Agadir, Morocco, having been through a relatively pleasant flight from Madrid. Then we stepped through customs pretty quickly, even though we hardly knew a word of Arabic, and exited the building. And, voila! we were standing on African soil for the first … Continue reading Standing on African Soil for the First Time Ever
world travel with a theatrical flair 