Category: Travels
-
Mumbai
The site where Mumbai grew was originally an archipelago of seven islands. Records indicate that there was a settlement here as early as the third century BCE. The Greek mathematician and geographer Ptolemy described the island settlements in 150 CE. In 1535, the Sultan of Gujarat ceeded the islands to…
-
A Spotting of the Ginger
One reality of being a ginger (having red hair) is you stick out in almost any crowd. This is particularly so in India, where sighting a ginger is practically as rare as sighting a unicorn. As a result, as of day 10 in India, I have been approached at least…
-
My Philosopy When Traveling
History has been my lifelong companion and friend. It can result in loads of “comments” from my family. I am just as happy in the corridors of a history museum as my daughter is in a zoo, my wife in an art museum or my son on a beach. It…
-
Gateway to India
The Tour: The world closed within months after my last post. Now, almost four years later, both our children have gotten married. This tour will be shared with our daughter (the originator of this blog) and her husband. We are visiting India, the land of his birth. Our tour will…
-
The Newest Adventure
Five years ago, I met a man named Kingston. He was born and raised in India, having moved to the USA for graduate school and remained for work. We bonded over a shared love of international cultures. Three years later, in summer 2021, in the middle of COVID, we married…
-
New Zealand Reflections
We began our journey in Australia, the oldest subcontinent on Earth, so distant from evolution elsewhere that its only native non-human mammals are marsupials. The aboriginal people have been there for over 30,000 years. New Zealand is young (and still growing with every earthquake). It’s landscape can be starkly beautiful,…
-
Return to Auckland and Home
There was a strong wind blowing into the Paihia harbor yesterday morning but we were able to sit at our usual table for a breakfast of fried eggs for Dawn and probably my last Bennie (eggs benedict). The wind was blowing so hard that the restaurant to the left was…
-
Dolphins
When we arrived in Paihia, we knew we were in a place that liked dolpins because this is the wooden sculpture in the center of the town: The weather report for the next day predicted rain in the morning, so we called the sailboat tour operator to make sure that…
-
Reflections on the Drive to Paihia
As we left Auckland with the end of our adventure in sight, Dawn asked the question “What was your favorite part of our trip?” We mentally began to relive the last two months and compared notes on what stood out in our memories. Rather than events, what really came up…
-
Auckland
The end of our grand adventure is coming into sight. We will fly to LA from Auckland next week. Auckland is the home of one third of the people in NZ, over 1.6 million. It has the largest Polynesian population in the world. Like most places in NZ, it is…
Ginger Without Borders 