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Located along the ancient Roman Stane Street, in the heart of rural Essex, the picturesque, award winning village Coggeshall is a true treasure trove for all those who love chocolate box cottages, centuries-old listed buildings and a peaceful setting away from the hustle and buzz of the modern world.

Introduction

If you travel to Coggeshall today you probably wouldn't guess that the little market town was once one of the most important industrial centres in this part of the East of England.


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Aside from driving around in an air conditioned car and spending time in a cool shopping mall, you could also try… skiing.

The entrance to Ski Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates. (© MRandin)

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1. Everyone still works with landmarks even though there are street names

(©MRandin)

In the 1980s, Dubai was the epitome of the U2 hit, “Where the streets have no name”. Instead, directions were given using landmarks, which were sometimes as vague as “turn right at the first set of pink buildings and then left at the one with the blue balcony railings”.

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Someone decides to put “miracle grow” on the buildings

At one time, the Dubai World Trade Centre, with its 39 floors, was the tallest building in the city.

Image Credit: Gulf News Archive

Here's a photo taken by my mum on a helicopter ride in the 1980s. These were the only buildings around the Dubai Trade Center at that time. (Image Credit: Antoinette Martin)

Today, the Burj Al Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, has blown the competition out of the water. And as you can see from the photo b

My family and I moved to Canada from Dubai in 1997. At that time Dubai was a not-so-talked-about dot on the map, vaguely located “near Saudi Arabia”, for many people. Some people even wondered if we went to school on camels or had to hunt for our food. When my brother once told someone he grew up in Dubai, that person’s reply was “To buy what?”

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The Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Copyright: MRandin)

Want an honest description of the Burj Al Arab? Here’s one by Sam Wollaston of The Guardian who described it as “fabulous, hideous, and the very pinnacle of tackiness – like Vegas after a serious, no-expense-spared, sheik-over.”

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Internarse en la barranca de los Jilgueros, en la Sierra nte de Puebla, no es fácil. Salimos del Campamento Tlatempa cerca de las 7 am. Las espinas y los saltos en las rocas para no caer al fondo logran que el llegar al río sea complejo y lleno de aventura. Pero más complejo se torna el mundo interior del explorador que llega hasta allá y descubre un poco de esa tierra que al mismo tiempo nos muestra nuestra pequeñez. Hay numerosas paredes por escalar. Los senderos te invitan a un viaje por el p

Volunteering your time to an organization and dedicating some of your time to a cause is one of the most noble and meaningful things a person can do. Whether assisting the poor, taking care of abandoned children or helping communities grow, the simple and generous act of participation is a rewarding experience to both the volunteer and the people they help.

Being that our own volunteer program is only months away we thought it a good idea to highlight why volunteering in Peru is such a special an

I have just spent a couple of days in the fascinating colonial town of Diamantina which is on the diamond circuit of the gold route that runs from Diamantina to Ouro Preto and then on to Paraty and Rio de Janeiro. Set amongst rolling hills with lush vegetation and tropical flowers and plants, Diamantina is a fascinating city with plenty to do for a two or three day stay. Visiting the waterfalls and seeing the cave paintings en route to the hamlet of Biribiri which was one of the main producers o

Antarctica is one of those places where history fuels a desire to step on those grounds where early explorers left their footprints and perhaps even their souls. Thus, most of the guests on board of the Plancius, owned by Oceanwide Expeditions, had perhaps not in equal measure, exploration and adventure in mind by joining an expedition to South Georgia and Antarctica. The two days spend at sea from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia, already prepared us for a journey that would be more of a p

When German archaeologist Leo Frobenius first discovered beautiful terracotta sculptures and copper cast head pieces in Nigeria in 1910, he proclaimed that he had discovered Plato’s lost city of Atlantis. European attitudes were so negative to African abilities that he reasoned that the artworks must be the work of foreign settlers, inconceivable to be created by African hands.

Eventually as more works surfaced through further discoveries, explorers began to change their attitudes. The Western wo

Growing up in Hawaii you develop an appreciation for cross cultural mingling, especially in cuisine. Kurt Winner, my husband a native New York to Hawaii transplant
and an avid chef, developed this favorite family recipe years ago. You
can use it to create kabobs along with fat quarters of red,green and
yellow bell peppers and onions or as a simple marinade for grilled
chicken. He favors it served Buffalo New York style with an Oregon
twist; alongside some Oregon Rogue bleu cheese dip and crudites.

Fou

16th Century: The site of Greenwich Village was inhabited by Native Americans during this time. The Village was merely a marshland named Sapokanican, used for camping and fishing.

17th and 18th Century: By the early 1600’s, Dutch settlers had cleared pastures and planted crops in this area, which they called Noortwyck. After the English conquest of New Amsterdam in 1664, the settlement became a country hamlet, first referred to Grin’wich in 1713 Common Council records. Greenwich Village survived

By Samuel P.N. Cook

In my life, I have lived in five different countries on three continents, and I have traveled to over 20 countries in my travels. I consider myself a well traveled person – I sort of fancied myself an expert. Then I decided I was so good at traveling that I would start a travel company to give back to travelers some of the great experiences that I had during my own travels. Simply put, I wanted to create in New York City the magic of some of the experiences I have had while tr