Blogs

I can tell you from experience that the good folks of Finland sure do like their olut (beer). And come summer its capital’s denizens delight in soaking up both sun and suds at outdoor cafés and on their cute little archipelago islands. So I daresay you shan’t be shocked that Helsinki’s home to the world’s only streetcar-pub. And it’s actually a streetcar named, uh, SpåraKOFF (Koff being a popular Finnish brand of suds).

Whatever. In any case, you won’t have a drop of trouble spotting it: Most ot

First, let me say that if I can get internet access anywhere outside of Nairobi on this trip I will be disappointed. My fantasy for this adventure is that my wife and I have to fight off lions, beware of snakes and wade through streams and rivers to get anywhere. I want baboons swinging at me from the trees and vultures circling overhead waiting to feast on my corpse.

OK, OK, it will not be that way. This is 2011, not 1811, or 1911. I am no Marlin Perkins although I am dressed like him for the t

How many of us reach adulthood only to discover that we still don't know what we want to be when we grow up? That's definitely me. I've changed jobs and moved more times than most people would care to count. I guess I've been a bit of a restless spirit as I've looked for the place and career that fit right.... I am happy to announce that I've finally found it! When I grow up I want to be an Innkeeper... (NOTE: just because I'm now and innkeeper, doesn't mean I'm ready to grow up... I think I'll

This will come as a surprise to most residents of San Diego – and even some of my fellow La Jollans – but the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is a hotel, as well as an exclusive private club.

In fact, their 98 rooms are very popular with guests who enjoy being in a cul de sac at the south end of La Jolla Shores Beach, where there is very little “through traffic.” All California beaches are public to the mean high tide line, but above that line this one is private, which means alcohol can be served.

Hear that? That dull roar, like the sound from inside a shell?  That might be the Orange County coastline calling you — 42 miles of beach and beach towns, give or take, from San Clemente to Seal Beach. Follow the advice here, and this coastline might lull you with surfers on swells, startle you with circus tricks (look for the guy by the Huntington Beach Pier with the hammer, nail and much-abused nose), charm you with old shacks on priceless real estate, seduce or offend you with shiny new build

It’s nearly summer and chances are you’re looking forward to enjoying a few days of vacation at the beach, a golf resort, or a hotel with a great swimming pool. Everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, folks are spending more time outside these days as the weather gets warmer.

In any case, skin cancer is the farthest thing from your mind and I hate to be a drag – but this is a blog about Staying Healthy On the Road – and just one melanoma could put a permanent end to your traveling days.

So what’s a

Shopping in New York City, even for a somewhat jaded ex-New Yorker like myself, can often yield some pretty nifty surprises. A few years ago, to cite but one example, I found three spectacular wooden Catholic saints from Macau in an outdoor Chelsea antiques market that no longer exists (thanks to a new condo). What caught my eye about these saints was their distinct Asian features, something I'd never seen before, or since. The price? $90 each. Two still adorn my home in Miami; the third I sold

San Jose downtown is a city full of contrasts, with the regular hustle of a capital city, it stills keeping a unique essence on its surroundings. The top attractions within the area are mainly based in cultural activities, like museums, theatres and historical architecture. And is actually the historical and cultural richness what brings visitors to the must see in San Jose: ¨The National Theatre¨.

This historical jewel was inaugurated in October of 1897, after seven years of construction, it s

On Nov 26, 2010, Maryel and me set out to explore a dirt road, leading east from Campos do Jordão to the Br-459. I had been wanting to check out this road for a long time, so I was glad we finally found some time to do it. Since we had no idea what to expect, we took our dirt bikes, and that turned out to be the right call, because the trail is not really an easy one, but for anyone who would like to do a +/- 90km enduro ride, it’s perfect. As a special bonus, the views of the surrounding Serra

The quiet and restful Genal Valley has a history that goes back hundreds of years. It is located in La Serranía de Ronda (the Ronda Mountains) just to the south of the bustling white village of Ronda, near the Mediterranean coast in southern Spain.

The Genal Valley is sandwiched happily between two national parks, La Sierra de las Nieves and Grazalema, and it is commonly acknowledged as the greenest part of Andalusia.

The valley is divided into upper and lower sections, with the Alto Genal (upper

Rio de Janeiro is a great place for rock climbing, and one of the more difficult climbs, but definitely most beautiful ones is Corcovado mountain (also referred to as K2), on top of which stands the most famous landmark of Rio de Janeiro: the statue of Christ the Redeemer. When a good friend of  mine invited me to do this climb, despite not being a real rock climber, I didn’t think twice and accepted.

The climb starts at 500m above the city. You can hike the whole way to the base, but we took th

San Diego has two beachfront hotels and they are both located on La Jolla Shores Beach, a mile from “the village” of La Jolla and about 11 miles from downtown San Diego.

One is La Jolla Shores Hotel and the other is the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

I recently toured La Jolla Shores Hotel and – even though I live nearby – I was really sorry when the visit was over. There’s something incredibly special about being right on the beach – kayakers and scuba divers come and go, flocks of pelicans fly o

Ayurveda, the science of life, was a medicine practiced in India since 5000 years ago. It is gaining prominence in modern day as there are no side effects of Ayurveda. More and more people are showing faith & belief in this holistic and alternative medicine.

Ayurvedic medicine is based on the concept of 3 doshas or Tridosha, Vata (the lightest), Kapha (heaviest) and Pitta (medium built). Doshas are mainly the “force” or “faults” in the basic built up of our body and can go easily out of order or