I had a great time hiking with Volodymyr and Julia to a waterfall near Yaremche Ukraine. The night before we spent the night at a resort in Bukovel. It took us maybe 20 minutes to drive Volodymyr’s Jeep Cherokee down the mountain road to get to the trail, and then another 20-30 minutes to get …
Marvelous Hiking and Ziplining at Waterfalls near Yaremche, Ukraine Read More »
I had a great time taking these pictures and talking with a couple of locals. I asked them if the Soviets built it, or the Polish, and they said definitely it was the Polish, but under the direction of a puppet dictator state (Poland of the 1950s). I’ve posted my photos at the end of …
Post-Soviet Palace of Culture: beautiful relic or symbol of communism? Read More »
A Welcoming Blend of Cultures and People The United Arab Emirates is an amazing place, and surprisingly open and free. of course it’s two main economic drivers are oil and tourism, as well as an ever growing tech sector. But what surprised me the most was the people. Think about the countries you have heard …
Discovering the UAE: Surprising Freedom, Diverse Cultures, and Modern Marvels Read More »
It’s been a while (2018?), so I don’t remember all the details, but I recall this was a Cancer benefit, and perhaps it was the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Foundation. I remember is was held in Culver City. It was not just any ordinary charity event; it was a gathering that brought together some of the …
Celebrity Moment: Hobnobbing with Tom Arnold and Gwen Stefani at a Cancer Benefit Read More »
Back in 2021 when I was having sleep problems during Covid, I made a series of drawings, including the below Harry Potter characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger. Dumbledore and Hagrid. In the Harry Potter drawing you can see I wrote Chinese, and this is simply Harry Potter in Chinese 哈利波特. And speaking of Chinese, I …
Early Life and First Steps in Travel Recently I heard someone say this is the Age of Travel, and talking about how easy it has become to travel and see the world. I’m doing it now, but this is nothing like my past life. My past life was about connecting to the world. I was …
A Lifetime of Connections and a New Era of Exploration Read More »
Balancing Respect and Sharing Experiences When it comes to posting about my travel experiences, I feel like sometimes there’s a balance I have to maintain. I want to be respectful of the people that I encounter while also talking about what I see. I think it can be hard for outsiders to understand other cultures, …
India Culture Shock: Food Poisoning and Trash Collection Read More »
These are my cats from more than 15 years ago. Captain, Eartha and Prissy.
