This is a story about a baby turtle and how we helped to set him free. It's also a tale of working together and conservation gone right.
Audrey Scott
Mayan Ruins of Palenque, Mexico
Tucked into the folds of the jungle in Mexico's Chiapas region stands the mostly buried and only very partially exposed Mayan ruins of Palenque. If you haven't already experienced this place or you've come to feel ruin fatigue in this part of the world, consider a visit. For us, it's become one of our favorites.
A Long Weekend on the Riviera Maya: 14 Memories
Mexico has ruins, Mexico has beaches. But the only place in the country where you'll find them both? That's the Riviera Maya.
A Yucatan Afternoon in Four Courses (or, How I Finally Found My Puerco Pibil)
This is the story of a perfect afternoon in Yucatan, including relaxing in the ruins of a hacienda, eating a traditional Yucatecan lunch, swimming in a lush collapsed sinkhole, and perhaps most importantly, satiating my six-year long curiosity about something called puerco pibil.
“For lunch, everything is local,” Julia, our host, explained as she walked us about the grounds of the old hacienda near the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.
Midnight Express: Iran to Turkey by Train
Iran is again catching its share of headlines. So it seemed as good a time as any to share the story of our exit from the country — hopping a train en route from Tehran across the border to Turkey, then all the way to Istanbul. One of the finest and most surprising segments of our around-the-world journey.
Crete Food: A Culinary Travel Guide
What is Crete food? What is traditional Cretan cuisine? Which dishes should you seek out and what sort of dishes and flavors might you find when you visit this Greek island? This Crete Food Culinary Travel Guide provides answers with an overview of Cretan cuisine, including its famous olive oil, and our favorite mezze, traditional Cretan dishes, desserts and drinks from our travels across the island.
Istanbul Without the Carpet: A Tale of Two Visits
This is a story about two different visits to Istanbul, the utter pointlessness of posing as a Canadian when you're American, and the secret to experiencing Istanbul without being offered a carpet.
Bangladesh Travel: A Beginner’s Guide
Let’s face it. Reliable independent travel information about Bangladesh doesn’t flow quite as freely as it does for some other nearby countries in south Asia.
And even when you get in country, information can be hard to come by: ask five people a question and you're likely to get ten answers.
But persevere and show your curiosity and you’ll find that Bangladesh actually offers more diversity in sights and experiences that you might first expect, from UNESCO pre-Moghul mosques to cycling through tea estates to tracking tigers in mangrove forests. But perhaps more distinct are the human interactions that make visiting Bangladesh such a unique experience.
Great Meals and the Lessons They Taught Us
We can learn from our food.
Really.
As I assembled photos and descriptions for our recent travel round-up post, I kept getting distracted. Perhaps unsurprisingly for those who know me, food was the culprit. I was continually drawn back to memories of unforgettable meals from each country — memories not only of the taste, but to the time, the place, the people.
Keep Tickin’: Life Inspiration from Nonagenarians
Last weekend, I arrived in Asheville, North Carolina to visit family. And boy, was I tired.
The last two months have been chock full: traveling from Central Europe to Crete to Istanbul to Iran, back to Istanbul, Germany and finally to a series of family visits up and down the east coast of the United States.
But I’ve been feeling a little spent. It’s not only the movement, but also my head, to the brim with fresh experiences and quite frankly deprived of the time and space to properly process them all. Amidst the fatigue, I began to wonder if perhaps I had reached some limit in what I could do, what I could take on.