Imagine living on a Caribbean beach, complete with white sand and turquoise water… Your job: running a small bar that serves food (from local restaurants). In between serving drinks, you chill out with the customers and, during/after a gorgeous sunset (which occurs pretty much every night), you dance in the sand. Meet ‘El Caribeño,’ a man who’s…
Tag Archive: locals
Playing Pharmacist With an Argentine Soap Opera Actress (Random Travel Moment 14)
When I checked in at the beachfront hotel in Palomino, Colombia, I immediately noticed how much Maria, the manager, smiled. She looked beautiful and happy…radiant, in fact. “I used to be an actress on a soap opera in Argentina,” she told me proudly when we had our first conversation. “Really? A sweet character or a…
Smoking Cigs with Gypsy Peanut Woman (Random Travel Moment #11)
Why is this woman, a gypsy traveling by ferry (somewhere between Eminonu and Sariyer), smiling with a peanut in between her teeth? And how about that expression on her face–what was she thinking/feeling? And how the heck did I, a nonsmoker, end up smoking a couple of cigs with her–and yeah, eating some of her…
Kuna Woman in Traditional Clothes Holding Bird in San Blas, Panama (Photo of the Day)
This photo is of a Kuna Yala woman, a resident of Carti Island, in traditional clothing. The colorful part right above her skirt is a mola, which means ‘shirt’ or ‘clothing’ in Dulegaya, the language spoken by the Kuna. The ring in the woman’s nose is called an olasu. The arm beads are known as…
Random Travel Moment #6: Meeting the Exorcist Asst. Director in Amman, Jordan
The Assistant Director of the Exorcist? In Amman, Jordan? Pretty random and yeah, just a bit bizarre. What the heck would…um…possess someone to claim that identity? And why did he choose to speak to me and my 12-year-old Circassian-Jordanian friend Shamel? And was he really who he said he was? Read on to find out……
Geisha, Panama’s Best Coffee—and Why I Didn’t Drink It
When I heard about award-winning Geisha, Panama’s best coffee—which is one of the best/most expensive in the world—I really thought I wanted to try it. So, while in Boquete, known for its climate and fertile soil that’s ideal for coffee growing, I considered several tours. I then settled on one with Café Ruiz, one of…
Amantina’s Dominican Kitchen—Where Love Is the Main Ingredient
After a couple of long days of travel on my recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I wasn’t feeling well, thanks to a stomach virus. When I arrived in Los Patos, a small town in the southwestern corner of the country, I had no appetite, yet I knew I was hungry. The question was—what could…
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