This is our view of the tip of the San Gabriel Mountains, touched by a bank of clouds on a recent sunset. This panorama is visible from our apartment in downtown Los Angeles. In the other direction, we can see all the way to Long Beach. On a clear day, we get a tiny glimpse …
How to travel like a germaphobe during a pandemic
The hoarding is getting a little out of hand. If you know what magical powers toilet paper possesses, please enlighten me. While I think the pre-apocalypse hoarding is rather ridiculous, I do think that social distancing and taking extra precautions to minimize germ spreading is warranted. Right now, germaphobes have the right idea. Decontamination and …
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In search of the most beautiful beach in the world
“Which way do we go?” The inevitable question faces us while staring at a fork in the road. We are on bikes on the tiny island of La Digue, one and one-half hours ride via catamaran from Mahé, the main island in the Seychelles islands. We are on bikes because the island, all of 5 …
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Taking time to unwind
One of the disadvantages of working from home is that you are never far enough away from your work to not work. It's always there, right in front of you. So, after about a month of toiling every day, we decided to put the brakes on and break away from it all. We can see …
Tortillas in no time, flat.
Here is a handy tip: If you are in the remote mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico, and you hear a pack of wild dogs, their barking increasing in volume, there is a very good chance they are not approaching to greet you in a friendly manner. It was many years ago when I found myself in …
AirBnB vs Hotels: Things to know before booking your first AirBnB
In many cities, AirBnB offers attractive, relatively cheap alternatives to traditional hotels. If you know what to look out for, you can experience incredible stays with them. Read this before you book your first AirBnB. We'll show you exactly how we vet them to avoid bad experiences as much as possible. Part of it is …
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A Different Kind of Birthday
Things were not going according to plan. Three of our party of six were down for the count. The three happened to be the male members of the group. They were suffering from a food-borne illness easily traceable to fish tacos the night before. The women in the party (where did that term "fairer sex" …
Brotherly love
I had to make a decision involving one of the most basic of human needs: use the bathroom now or chance a long ride? We -- my siblings and our respective spouses -- were on the upper northwest side of the island of Oahu, about to make our return to our vacation rental, a fair …
Hiking L.A.
It is possible to go hiking — in Los Angeles — and get away from it all. Well, almost.
