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I have added this page with "archived" blog articles to address complaints that
some of ​the older posts no longer display on The Blog page. Enjoy.

 

A Memorial Day weekend tribute

As the United States commemorates Memorial Day (and the weekend that precedes it) in honor of its fallen soldiers - men and women - I thought I would share some photos I took last week at the Manila AmericanCemetery.... May 25, 2019

A visit to Cappadocia

Fairy Chimneys, cave hotels, friendly street dogs and a photo of Nicolas Cage in every store... May 18, 2019

Save on all your travel needs

Whether you're planning your next business trip or a family getaway, Ebates can help you save with discounts on travel and vacations! Find travel deals on airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, spa resorts, vacation packages and more. . .. February 28, 2019

 

A very Happy New Year

“You are the artist, and your days the canvas. Will you create an original masterpiece, or live a paint-by-numbers kind of life?” John Mark Green. . .. January 6, 2019

 

A quick trip to the Big Apple

Since Like nearly every aspect of this trip, New York City was both amazing and maddening. Looking back on my regular trips when I was younger, I suppose that mix has always been the New York City experience. . . .. December 16, 2018

 

Five favorite places to drink tea in Istanbul - a Supplement

Since the posting of “Five favorite places to drink tea in Istanbul” I have received several emails asking me to provide five favorite places, not four favorite and one past favorite. This is a point well taken. As a consequence, I am posting this short supplement to include one more of my favorite tea spots in Istanbul. . .. December 8, 2018

 

Five favorite places to drink tea in Istanbul

If you have traveled to Turkey, you know that tea houses and tea gardens are everywhere. These range from a couple chairs in front of the corner convenience store called bakkals, to sheesha/nargile bars (known to most westerners as hookah bars), to extravagant cultural and hotel settings.  December 1, 2018

 

Columbia University

My daughter and I visited the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the City of New York earlier this month.  Here is a small handful of photos of this lovely campus.  November 27, 2018

 

A First-timer's guide to Manila Airport's Terminal 3

An article by our guest-blogger, Mars Johnson. The next time you fly United Airlines into Manila, you may notice that you will not arrive at Terminal 1 as has been the case historically. That’s right, United Airlines has finally joined other Star Alliance members at Terminal 3.  November 19, 2018

 

TravelPimp News Update

Hello, my fellow TravelPimpers. It has been a while since we've posted any articles, and we've received a number of emails ranging from inquiry to concern to passive-aggressive anger. LOL. So I thought I'd update you on the goings on at TravelPimp. . .. November 13, 2018

 

A sort-of homecoming – Austin

I recently had an opportunity to visit Austin, Texas, the amazing city I was lucky to finish high school and start college in. Nostalgia wants me to call Austin home . . ..   August 1, 2018

 

Happy memories and the Alamo City

San Antonio has always held happy memories for me. When I was in college, my buddies and I would periodically visit the city for a change of scenery, excellent Mexican food, and a chance to spend our meager earnings doing Mexican Flag shots . . ..  July 27, 2018

 

A quiet evening on Talafofo Bay

My daughter and I were up for a bratwurst-fix, so we headed south, past some of my favorite villages and several bays, including the Talafofo Bay.  July 1, 2018

 

The Scoot Airlines experience

In my excitement to fly a low cost 787 flight, I conveniently overlooked the fact that Scoot is a low cost carrier.  June 30, 2018

 

A splendid day at Thailand's Grand Palace

I was recently in Bangkok, Thailand for thirty-six hours and took advantage of a beautiful day by visiting the most excellent Grand Palace.   June 23, 2018

 

Singapore for foodies and drink lovers

One of my favorite urban destinations is the cosmopolitan city-nation of Singapore. This article will focus on some food and drink experiences of the city.  May 14, 2018

 

Furano beckons

Furano is situated in a farming community, not far from the salmon runs and crab fishing region of Japan.  So it should come as no surprise that the food is particularly good, given Japan’s exceptional food culture.  March 28, 2018

 

Food and shelter in Angeles City

Angeles is an interesting city with golf, casinos, horseback riding, an international airport - and, as it turns out, some good restaurants and hotels.  January 17, 2018

 

DisneySea - our happy place

My daughter and I had our annual pilgrimage to the Tokyo Disney Resort over the Thanksgiving break.  We spent time in both parks, but DisneySea has been our happy place since she was four - it's nice that some things change slowly.  November 30, 2017

 

Bar hopping in Sydney

Alan C. Martin, wrote in Tank Girl 2, “I've been to Australia. I've met the devil, drank beer and snogged kangaroos.”  October 30, 2017

 

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

I was fortunate to have a short day-time layover in Bangkok, while enroute to Sydney, Australia.  Here are some photos of my visit to the world's longest painting - the Ramayana Paintings - at the Grand Palace, Bangkok.  September 4, 2017

 

48 hours in Cebu

I hesitate to say that I have visited Cebu. Not because I didn’t like it, but because my 48 hours in Cebu was a blur. I suspect I’m not the first person in history to utter those words.  August 15, 2017

 

The colors of Istanbul

I am irresistibly drawn to Istanbul.  I love the architecture, the smells, the colors, the food and the sounds.  Somehow I can't satisfy my appetite to experience more of this city.  June 27, 2017

 

Another Philippine adventure

A long weekend in the Philippines is an excellent excuse for food, horseback riding, archery and more food.  January 20, 2017

 

Paseo de Susana Park

Paseo De Susana Park is a... well... park, on a peninsula between the Hagåtña Boat Basin and East Agana Bay, on the Pacific island of Guam.  July 14, 2016

 

Festival of Pacific Arts

In May and June 2016, Guam hosted delegations from twenty-eight nations and territories of the Pacific in the quadrennial cultural festival known as the Festival of Pacific Arts.  June 15, 2016

 

Save on all your travel needs

Fair warning:  it's an advertisement... but one from a favorite service provider of mine.  January 2, 2016

 

Shanghai in the fall

A Yu Garden and Jade Buddha Temple slideshow. October 25, 2015

 

A visit to the Mile-High City

I had my first visit Denver this spring for what was expected to be a very busy business trip. Even though most of my time would not own, I was looking forward to seeing a bit of the "Mile-High City."  July 26, 2015

 

Springtime in Mobile

Despite a non-traditional start to a business trip, I was able get my work done and to enjoy the southern hospitality of this unexpectedly lovely town.  May 11, 2015

 

Plaza de Espana

In the middle-ish of Guam's capital city,  Hagåtña, lies part of the colonial Spanish Governor's Palace named the Plaza de España.  April 19, 2015

 

In search of snow, part 2

After failing to give my daughter her first snow experience late last year, we decided to return to Furano, Japan for another try.  March 27, 2015

 

In search of snow

My daughter has never seen snow.  She has experienced the cold of winter, but none of our previous trips took us anywhere nearer to snow than being able to see snow-capped mountains in the distance.  To remedy this, my kids and I decided to seek out snow over my birthday weekend.  December 2, 2014

 

Northern Idaho – who knew?

You to go Spokane and then drive east until the mountains rise and the lakes appear.  November 7, 2014

 

Saipan – yes, it’s part of the United States

It’s hard to put my finger on it, but in some ways the island is very American (which makes sense, since it is) and in other ways it is very, very foreign; I think this is part of its appeal.  June 4, 2014

 

Travel for graduates - HOBO101

Call it a rite of passage, or a desire to see the world, or whatever, but thousands of young people do it each year, in some form or another.  May 6, 2014

 

A Manila spring break

It turned out all the things that I thought would result in a Twin Peaks dwarf speaking in reverse kind of experience, were just great experiences. My son’s spring break came three weeks after my daughter’s, so, to be fair, he was due an adventure of his own.  April 23, 2014

 

Travel planning for the Philippines – my kind of quirky

The country has the ability to take things that are familiar and make them completely unfamiliar, and do it in a way that is interesting, if not downright amusing.  April 10, 2014

 

A Tokyo Disney spring break

Tokyo Disney Resort is an excellent family experience, where both the Cast Members and the guests are truly lovely, and memories are worth remembering. If Disneyland is the friendliest place on Earth, Tokyo Disney Resort has to be the friendliest place in the Galaxy.  March 15, 2014

 

Travel planning to the Land of the Rising Sun - excellent Japan

One of my favorite travel destinations is Japan. Not just because it is unique, all countries are unique, but because I don’t understand it very well at all.  February 20, 2014

 

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