wanderland

A leisurely start to the day begins with a delightful walk to the beautifully tiled, wildly popular Sāo Bento train station. "Olá. Bom dia. Dois bilhetes para Braga, por favor," I say to the man at the ticket desk. The phrase is the full range of my Portuguese

The Duoro River or Rio Duoro is a beautiful sparkling blue river, the mouth of which is only a few kilometers north in a section of Porto called Foz do Duoro. (Technically, this is still a part of Porto, but is not the city proper and seems more like an

The Hike (7.5 hours, 14 miles) Scaling the stone-slab staircase along the backside of the fortress in Porto Venere felt almost like trespassing. Through the cracks and along the side grew wild and untamed weeds. It appeared as though the steps hadn't been walked in years -

The Wedding (La cerimonia nuziale) The morning of the wedding was filled with joy and ebullience. Despite our arrival the day earlier, elation triumphed over jetlag and I dragged myself out of a deep, peaceful slumber to join my sister for breakfast at a quaint, local restaurant. Deezy, on the

Wouldn't you just love to attend an idyllic wedding in Italy? You know, the kind of event where you stay in the perfect villa in a quintessential village, watching the old men place chess in the town square while the women saunter through the stone-laid alleys as they

koh samui: a short story about a tuk-tuk, a taxi, a train, a bus, a boat, a walk and a plane A plain clothed Bangkokian policeman asks if we need help. "We're looking for the train station," we say in unison. The man convincingly identifies himself

Welcome to Thailand!!! ราชอาณาจักรไทย "Turn around! Go back to the airport," Deezy cooly orders the taxi driver. Moments before, we had disembarked the plane and traversed our way through the chaotic Bangkok airport. Crowds were gathering and excited Thai suffocate foreign tourists with information about the country

After a short walk, we come to the Konansou, a traditional Japanese inn, also known as a ryokan. The staff speak no English, and when we arrive a few hours before check, we are pointed in the direction of Lake Kawaguchi. Starving and tired, Deezy and I spot a convenience

Mt. Fuji 富士山 Fujisan located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft) The train station is exceptionally small. "There must not be a lot of tourism," I thought. Waiting impatiently for the train to Fujikawaguchiko-machi to arrive, it

It's the day we leave for Japan. We have until 3 PM in San Francisco before leaving for the airport.  Our bags are packed.  We're showered and ready to go. It's 9 AM.  With bags in tow, we head to the lobby to check

At about 7:30 AM PST, we excitedly wake up to start the day. A self-guided bike tour of wine country - too much fun! The previous night we had searched the web for a bike rental place and found a shop in Yountville, CA. OMG...the California sun, bikes,

For years I had wanted to travel to Thailand.  Who could resist the sights of the busy city covered with temples and the smells of spices and flowers emanating from every corner?  Who wouldn't want to submerge themselves in the Indian Ocean (more specifically the Gulf of Thailand)