There was a time when I knew as much about Puerto Rico as I do about Quantum Physics. Nada. My cultural and historical references for this exotic U.S. territory were limited to lyrics from 1960s musicals (i.e. the catchy “I want to live in America” tune sung in West Side Story, that paints Puerto Rico [...]
As if to welcome our tour group, a thousand wolf-like canines, chained and fierce, howled hauntingly. Pairs of multi-colored eyes (one blue, one brown) calculated our every move. It was a Stephen King novel, Arctic style. There I was in Illusiat, an isolated coastal city in the Western part of Greenland, preparing for my first dog [...]
A power plant is not a likely place to spend your vacation but every year, curious tourists make their way to Chernobyl for a look at where the world’s worst nuclear disaster took place. […]
In the spy capital of the world, it’s no surprise that the International Spy Museum is a hot ticket. In downtown Washington D.C., just steps from the FBI building, this one-of-a-kind tourist attraction has been educating the masses and instilling paranoia since it first opened in 2002. This past weekend, between schmoozing and stage presentations at the Travel & Adventure show, I had a chance to check out The Spy Museum.
I swear, I hear the Jaws “da na da na da na” theme song in all bodies of water, from oceans to bath tubs. That’s why it was particularly out of character for me to sign up for a great white shark cage-diving adventure off the coast of South Africa… and so can you. This day activity (also offered in parts of California) allows swimmers to snorkel with sharks from the safety of a metal cage. A boat trip takes you out to the middle of the ocean, dragging a trail of chum (a delicious stew of fish guts and blood) behind it. The great whites catch the scent and are lured towards the curious swimmers bobbing inside a protective contraption. Crazy? Yes, but if you’re looking for a deeper understanding of these deep-sea creatures, it’s an awe-inspiring way to spend an afternoon.
The best part about starting a new year is the chance to wipe the slate clean and achieve a fitter, slimmer, richer, smarter you. If fitness, natural beauty and all-round relaxation are on your resolution “to-do list” for 2010, consider a trip to Canadian Rockies’ snow-capped mountains. While they boast some of the world’s best skiing and wildlife viewing, this region is also home to an unusual tourist activity called heli-yoga, a practice that combines the meditative properties of yoga with a traditional helicopter sightseeing tour.
Cruising the palm-tree lined strip of South Beach Miami, I felt a little like David Hasselhoff from Knight Rider. Like his crime-fighting car companion Kitt, my ride also talked, cracked the occasional joke and advised me about where turn left. But unlike Hasselholf' s pimp Pontiac Trans Am, my car came in the form of a three-wheeled yellow GoCar. A GoCar is a two passenger, "storytelling" car that offers tours of famous South Beach, home of luxury lifestyles, reality-TV tattoo shops and the no-carb diet. Complete with GPS, it's both navigator and audio guide for visitors who want to drive through Miami's hot spots.
