On Monday, August 1, we began our fourth and final week of volunteering at the school in Faizabad, India. Once again, the first three days of the week were at in-town campuses of the school. Kimberly's Fourth Graders at Jingle Bells School Above Photos: 1. K with Security guard who escorted her through the gate … Continue reading Final Week of Faizabad with a side of Monkeys
On Tuesday, July 12, we began our month of volunteer teaching at Jingle Bell Schools in Faizabad. Kimberly went to the classrooms next to our quarters, and Dennis trundled off to the campus about 3 blocks away. The first couple of days, he was chauffeured to and from this campus, but he made it known … Continue reading Teaching Adventures in Faizabad: From Classrooms to Riverside Festivities
On our first full day in Kochi, India, we decided to take a tour of the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, which is, among other things, a sanctuary for migratory birds. And one of us has a passion for shooting birds -- with a camera, of course -- and combing through thousands of photos of them to … Continue reading Going Batty at Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary
Even with the voracious encroachment of clothed two-legged predators upon their territory, there are reportedly some 25,000 elephants still in the wild in India. And if you know where to look, quite a few of them can be found in Kerala, the state where we spent a month volunteering. But alas, their stomping grounds are … Continue reading Encountering Elephants at Konni Reserve in Kerala
photobombed by Alain who we met on the trail to Pico March 12 With our first week of volunteering concluded at UBHA school, we were free to spend a 3-day weekend hiking through the stupendous Chicaque Natural Park. On Saturday morning, we set out on a hike to visit one of its landmarks: Pico (the … Continue reading Exploring the Trails in Chicaque Natural Park
Although it's only half an hour from the buzzing metropolis of Bogota, Chicaque Natural Park is like a lost world, and parts of it seem far removed from any signs of civilization. It's 300 hectares (741 acres) of mountains, streams, thick vegetation, with a few but not too many tourist amenities like campgrounds, lodges, restaurants … Continue reading UBHA the One-Room Schoolhouse in a Colombian Cloud Forest
Puyo, Ecuador turned out to be a bit of a disappointment -- at least as far as the city itself. We didn't see why anyone would recommend going there except for nearby attractions. Like the Amazon -- Puyo is the closest jumping off place to tour the jungle; even the tours leaving from Baños go through … Continue reading Monkeying Around in Puyo
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)
world travel with a theatrical flair 