You’d probably think of a million tinsel-draped, twinkling-light places before you thought of Brazil as an over-the-top Christmas-is-here destination. Lapland, Finland always tops lists with its frosty Arctic Circle locale and all those real reindeer, then there’s Santa Clause, Indiana, the name speaks for itself. But Gramado, Brazil in the … Continue reading
So, the Traveling Brown Girls Blog Carnival has presented an interesting challenge: List 5 places that I’ve never been (and why I want to go). First, you may be asking, “What is the Traveling Brown Girls Blog Carnival?” It’s a blog party started by Tracey Friley of OneBrownGirl.com and hosted … Continue reading
An opinion piece about racism in Cuba in Sunday’s New York Times brought back memories of my visit there in 2003. I traveled with Global Exchange for its Salsa and Afro-Cuban Dance Tour, where I learned Afro-Cuban dance, drumming and salsa from professional dancers and drummers. I think it was … Continue reading
Exactly one month after traveling to Argentina with STG Tours, the Vatican selected its first Argentinian pontiff, Pope Francis I. How perfectly relevant. Seems like a great reason to reminisce on a great trip with a few good pics. These aren’t mine, though. I’m sharing my fellow travelers’ favorite photos … Continue reading
There are some pretty sad statistics out there about the disparities between the lives of boys and girls; women and men. The World Bank reports that, in developing countries, an estimated 3.9 million women die unnecessarily each year. Many are never born because of preference given to boy children in … Continue reading
It’s the morning after our tango class and show at Tango Porteño in Buenos Aires. Gia dubs Alan and I Mr. and Ms. Tango, sharing how well we danced together with Luis, who is at our hotel to escort us to the airport for our return trip to the U.S. … Continue reading
When we land in Mendoza all memory of flash flooding and a leaky hotel is erased instantly with one glance at the Andes Mountain range. The mystical mountains greet us outside the Mendoza airport and seem to carry a quiet and calming presence. It’s like we are getting a fresh … Continue reading
Actually, funny probably isn’t the right word, freak might be better. Our trip was rudely interrupted the other night by a freak flash flood that created a fast-moving surge of water down the street in front of our hotel, just as we were planning to leave for a tango lesson … Continue reading