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Rio de Janeiro feels more familiar to a babe like me who knows from tropical Christmases. Heat, sweat at the hairline, linen clothes, palm trees, coconut water. And at breakfast papayas, pineapples, oranges, mangoes, guavas fruits, full-flavored bananas and jack fruit. Yes, yes, yes. Adding to my throb of nostalgia is that the street trees [...]

No, I’d never heard of the Iguassu Falls before this trip either. It’s the Eighth Wonder of the World, don’t you know. Impressive and thunderous, it straddles both Argentina and Brazil. These falls come in only second to Africa’s Victoria Falls. With more than 200 separate cascades, it’s taller than Niagara Falls by far. In [...]

Buenos Aires, as you might imagine, is a smart, cosmopolitan city. Walking about, there’s a nagging feeling of familiarity. Even mildly jetlagged, it’s easy to forget where in hell you are. For it looks like any European city—Paris, Milan, Madrid. New York, even. Except there are purple-flowering jacaranda trees, Banyan trees with their elephant-foot roots, [...]

I never read the guidebooks before we travel. To me it’s like opening presents early. Plus I feel I don’t really need to know too much beforehand—the beloved drools over the planning, the books, the maps. All I need do is show up and make sure I don’t have a derisive amount of stuff packed. [...]

Can you talk like an Australian? What are sunnies, Eskies, helies, pollies. (Sunglasses, Eskimo coolers, helicopters, politicians.) Got it? So then, what is sosh, or goss, or satched, or mackers? (Social, gossip, saturated, McDonalds hamburgers.) No worries, mate. You’re all right. Which means, “You’re welcome.” Roight. Australia offered us the very best vacation we’ve had [...]

The Outback. Here we fancily stay at “Sails In The Desert,” a hotel that sprawls over some acreage. It’s a gorgeous place where the staff is young, fervent, effervescent, wonderful. They are, literally, a sweet oasis in the usual nippy Australian service we’d become almost accustomed to. The shot below is of a stand of [...]

If you’re anything like me, here’s what 25 straight hours of traveling and the complete disappearance of a whole day, will do for you: 1. You will ask yourself, so what in hell is fun about vacations anyway? 2. Your body will have a deep-bone fatigue in which you think your legs could not ache [...]

I’m guessing most people will know where these photos were taken? If you don’t, though, c’mon, Boonoonoonoos, let’s have some minor fun. Three things: 1. Without looking at the last photo, where’s this? 2. The photo pairs might have some commonality? Um, visual puns? 3. Guess which photo subject I absolutely liked best! [Click on [...]

Singapore is clean and green. A relief from Bangkok. The road from the airport is a boulevard, an allee with mature flame trees, flowerless now, to be sure, in this rainy season. Palm trees line the median. Everywhere it is rainforest lush. It is also the season of frequent afternoon and early-evening thunderstorms. The city [...]

Bangkok

Hong Kong