HUGE MARKINGS AT IRISH COASTLINE DISCOVERED

Irish neutrality during the Second World War involved some hasty preparations being made around the island of Ireland. One of the more unlikely measures taken was to have the word 'Eire' written into the coastal landscape at 32 points around the country. 

A Travel-Adventure-History-Education web series

Yes, we're going to launch a travel-adventure web series and we want you to participate for as little as $2 a month. Friends see me traveling around the world and tell me "Your life is like a movie," so we decided to turn it into one. I've been a vagabonder since 2014 when I met and befriended a Colombian photojournalist. She'd been traveling solo -- or rather backpacking (they're different things I was to discover) --  since the age of sixteen. When she and I traveled to northern Argentina, we traveled by bus, hitchhiked, and walked.  It was amazing.

The Moment the World Stopped

It’s been a while since I posted my adventures in India. So I thought I’d share a lovely experience I had today. It was the most contradictory thing I've experienced thus far.

Motorcycle Diary -- to Palolem Beach Goa

Combining a motorcycle ride to Palolem Beach, Goa India with a week stay on the beach was exhilarating and relaxing, and proved that these old bones have a lot of mileage left in them.

According to the NY Times article Mr. Modi recently stated that climate change is not India's fault, but that India is suffering the consequences of it. What can he do?

A Journey To Nowhere In Particular

Sitting at my regular cafe in Bangalore, I happened upon a group of expats traveling India. When I suggested to Jordan that I thought he would like the book Vagabonding by Rolph Potts, He responded that he knew it well. I was intrigued.

Lord Ganesha Festival

Ever year in India they celebrate Lord Ganesha with a festival, and the symbolic floating statues of him in the river, known as Ganesha Visarjan.

Traveling In Goa, India

If you like the beach, beach culture – including open hut bars on the beach --, restaurants, nightclubs, streets lined with craft shops, then odds are you’ll like Goa.It’s a melting pot of Indian, expat and traveler culture that I have not experienced anywhere else in India, yet. 

Driving Rules .. Well, More Like Guidelines Really

In a country where they went from virtually no cars to more cars and bikes than the road infrastructure can handle, it happened so fast that they never really incorporated a general driving protocol.

A Jazzy Night in Bangalore -- Zaang Style

My friend Vinil had launched Zaang.org some months back. It is a social group whose aim is to host events for fun people.  They've had several events that I've attended these past months, and always had a good time. However, this event at the terrace bar at the Hyatt Hotel was something new for them, and it was a hit. The focus was not on a huge crowd, but rather a good crowd. And they got it.

What a Difference an Election Makes

I've been in Bangalore for 1 and a half years now, and not to offend any of my friends here, there are aspects of it (even though its the 6th largest economy on the planet) that is still somewhat third world.

Diwali 2013

It may be technically the Celebration of Lights in theory, but in reality it is really loud!  This is my second Diwali celebration. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, we enjoyed fireworks every 4th of July.  In addition to the grand fireworks display over the East River, which were spectacular, every neighborhood had their own local bottle rockets, fire crackers, and sparklers. This is a whole other dimension.

A Touch of the Old Days

From The first night that I confronted a foot-long lizard on the ceiling of my shower room, to cows, goats and roosters roaming the streets,  I’ve known that this is a different place from any other that I've lived in.

Vagabonding -- Remember Rule 1

I had no expectations of India.  But I did have an agenda, and most importantly in doing so, forgot the first rule of travel:  never set a firm agenda.  From the moment I landed I was counting the days until I would depart. That was my first error.

The Places We Love and The Places We Find

Having been lucky and adventurous enough to live in several countries, I've had many people ask me "What is your favorite home," "Why did you love it"? There are some places that I loved from the moment I arrived; an energy immediately pulsed through me and connected me to the heart of the place. Other places I had to discover over the course of time.

Shivansamudra on Two Wheels

Our little adventure began at 5:00AM – then again, waking up at 5:00 AM was more of a nightmare for me than an adventure, and we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. I had only fallen asleep at 4:30 AM. But I awoke, bathed, got dressed and met with others from our small motorcycle group out in front of the house. Rajeev emerged from the house last, big surprise, and we left by 6:00 AM.

We followed Rajeev-- the Kamikaze biker -- as we snaked our way through the back streets, shooting between and around the few cars and trucks we encountered, en route to the prearranged spot on Kanakputra Road where we would meet up with Kiran and Nishanth.

The Garbage Dilemma

Last year when the city garbage collection was on strike, I posted a story about the problem, when the press was calling Bangalore as Garbage City.  But the strike wasn't the problem, not really.

Daybreak in the Jungle of Bangalore

It is 5:30 AM and I've been up all night drinking whiskey with Rajeev -- and chatting on Facebook with Disha in Africa, Jim in Mexico, others right here in Bangalore India and talking with Steve in NYC. Then something interesting happened.

80 Million At the Ganges

Though I am temporarily back in New York City, I'm still tethered to India in some way; suddenly I notice things, or take interest in things about India or its culture that would have previously not grabbed my interest. Living there has somehow connected my spiritually to this exotic land.  my soul, as I prepare to head back there at the end of the month.

The Magic of Snow

I've been in India for six months, and its been an interesting and enjoyable stay.