Visited Zimbabwe’s Lion Encounter outside of Victoria Falls. Got to enjoy an afternoon with some young lions
Machu Picchu offered one of the most amazing views I’ve seen in the world
While in Chiang Mai, Thailand we took in some Muay Thai matches. They have matches for kids as young as 6, and work their way up all the way to the pros. You’re cheating yourself if you don’t take in this national sport while in country
When in Rome, I did as the Romans do, and visited the Colosseum
We spent a day at the Elephant Nature Park, walking with, bathing, and feeding rescue elephants
You can’t visit Dublin without having a pint of Guiness
While in Berlin there are a number of spots where you can stand where the wall was
On a brisk morning in South Africa, our guide had me smoke some elephant dung. “It cleans out the sinuses…”
Casablanca Valley was home to some amazing wineries, and I tried as much as I could
While in Kyoto, I got to practice Traditional Swordplay & Performance at Samurai Kembu
I love learning how to cook new things when I travel. This time I learned how to make Pescado al Hombre, Ceviche, and Pisco Sours in Arequipa
Visiting the Great Wall and seeing how vast it is, and knowing that this part isn’t even a fraction of this World Wonder was an amazing experience
There are plenty of trails with great views on both sides of Victoria Falls, the Zimbabwe side and the Zambia side, and you get soaked on pretty much every one
So many flavors of snacks in Japan, and so little time. Pocky is amazing, my “teenage Japanese girl” impression… not so much…
I visited the Universidad de Chile, Department of Astronomy, in Santiago and got my first real lesson in the southern hemisphere’s night sky. As we traveled I was able to use the Southern Cross just like we use the Big Dipper up here
You don’t really think about World Heritage Sites and Wonders as real things that need regular maintenance just like anything else… but they do. Check out the scaffolding on the Taj Mahal
Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine is the tallest statue in Africa. Located outside of Dakar, Senegal, this controversial statue is huge (160’) and can be seen for miles around.
If you’re an Assassin’s Creed fan, you might recognize the Doge’s Palace. The Palazzo Ducale serves as an amazing museum where you can see amazing art, and take a walk into the past… and Casanova’s prison cell
It’s funny how many people around the world were amazed to see a Black man walking around. Everyone wanted pictures with me, especially around Asia. Some might be offended, but I’m honored to be a positive representation for my people any chance I can get.
In Puno, you can take a cruise on Lake Titicaca and visit the Uros people on their floating islands. These amazing structures are made of reeds from the lake, and it’s interesting to see the blend of ancient culture and modern conveniences. Satellite dishes and campfires!
When the US dropped “Little Boy”, an atomic bomb, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima it exploded right above this building. The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, also known as the Genbaku Dome, was the only building left standing in the area that is now home to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. It was incredible to see the damage done to this community at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was also amazing to see how the city has bounced back
The Jerónimos Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Lisbon, Portugal. It was my first taste of Gothic architecture in Europe, but not the last
It’s interesting that North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war, but a major tourist attraction near Seoul is the actual DMZ. Very cool experience climbing through tunnels, checking out train stations, and looking across the border area, all while military personnel and weaponry rolled through the area and kept watch
Couldn’t get too close to the people on the beach with the camera because there was a lot of partial nudity, but Barcelona had some AMAZING beachfront areas, with great views and incredible food
The transportation system in Japan is amazing. We were able to take a bullet train from Osaka to Himeji, and then to Hiroshima, and back, all the same day. Climbing to the top of the castle was an amazing experience.
In Munich, they have the New Town Hall, where the Rathaus-Glockenspiel puts on an intricate performance of motorized figurines that can be seen daily. We hung out, in Marienplatz drinking beers, people watching and relaxing.
We took a morning balloon ride over the Maasai Mara National Reserve to catch the sunrise over the savanna.
While touring a small town in Chongqing, China, I stopped and let this nice woman clean my ears out. Apparently, they were already pretty clean though, she was very impressed
One of my favorite things about traveling vs just reading about something is learning things you never knew. When you look at pictures of the Taj Mahal, it’s usually a full shot, from far away, of an all white building. Imagine my surprise when we visited and found all this color. And then further joy when we found that nothing was painted, but it was all intricate gem work laced throughout the structures by expert craftsmen. Even the calligraphy along the borders was stonework
At the Avenue of the Stars, you can check out hand molds from lots of Hong Kong stars including Jet Li, John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat and more. There are also a couple of statues, like this amazing likeness of the legend himself, Bruce Lee
There are so many things to do in the world, if you’re afraid to try new experiences, you’ll never have any fun. Touch the lions!
Isa Khan’s Tomb is amazing in it’s own right, but it’s part of Humayun’s Tomb complex in New Dehli. A gorgeous estate with plenty to take in as you stroll the grounds. Humayun’s Tomb itself was one of the inspirations for the Taj Mahal
At the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl you can get a krug of dunkel and get some great people watching in. It takes a while to get through a liter of beer, so make sure you get some pretzels or sausage to go with it
In Shanghai, I went to a part of town I didn’t know, walked around back of a high rise building, took a rickety elevator up, and learned to make some amazing shao mài, xiao long bao, and more in the chef’s apartment. You can’t be scared when offered new opportunities… or dumplings
We jumped on a bus and headed south of Florence to try wine from Poggio Amorelli and a few other Tuscan wineries. I don’t know how people go on these tours and hold back when the guide asks “who wants more?” Me… always and forever me!
Carrying on a tradition from the past, the Berlin Wall Art Project offered a glimpse into the past as you walked down the street blocked from your neighbors on the other side. Since the 60s the West side of the Berlin Wall was a canvas for artists around the world, but more recently the city of Berlin offered artists the opportunity to display their skills along the section. Some made political statements, some expressed themselves graffiti, but it was all interesting
One of the best things about traveling is being able to explore locations that were off limits to us “peasants” at the height of their powers. The Forbidden City is a massive palace complex with sections that even people who lived within it’s walls were not allowed to venture… but we could…
Athens has long been on my bucket list because it’s home of two of my favorite things, myths and democracy. Climbing up to the Athenian Acropolis and taking in all of Athens was an amazing experience
Eating Italy Food Tours gave us a tour of Florence’s old town that included a convenience store, a produce market, and a meat shop… then we went to their kitchen and learned how to make fresh pasta and ravioli and enjoyed an amazing meal
We walked around Prague a lot, and we were able to check out famous locations like the Prague astronomical clock, but we were also able to slide into some great pubs, restaurants, and attractions that we would have never known about. Always give yourself a day to just wander around
When you travel as hard as we did, sometimes you just want to take the night and relax in your hostel, hotel, wherever. Lucky for me we had visited an amazing sake brewery Fuji Takasago in Fujinomiya City at the bottom of Mount Fuji. Because it was a crappy day out we didn’t get to explore the mountain, but we did have a great time exploring the surrounding areas
The Museum Island area of Berlin may have been one of my favorite places in Germany. Incredible history, culture, great people watching, street markets, architecture, what’s not to love?
Every now and then you enjoy yourself a little too much at night. Then you wake up and remember that you have plans. That was the case as we did a wine and food tour in Barcelona’s Gothic District, and then had a paella class with Cook and Taste Barcelona Cooking Classes the next morning. We weren’t the only ones a little low energy though, Carlos had apparently dealt with this before, and soon the wine was flowing and the food was cooking
In 2022, I traveled to the Galapagos and island hopped. We saw so many amazing animals, but swimming with sea lions is up there with some of my favorite animal memories
Being back on the road after the pandemic feels so good. I’m looking forward to so many more adventures. On our last day in the Galapagos we got to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about the Galapagos Tortoises and Darwin’s adventures in the area