Tag Archives: blog It was a bittersweet feeling: this was our last day of trekking in the magnificent Annapurna mountains of Nepal. Every step of this “Easy” Poon Hill Trek had reminded me that I’m not as young as I once was. But, the accommodation was vastly improved compared with my first visit to this region many years […]  I spent less than a week in the Sultanate of Oman, an Islamic Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. In that time, however, I saw countless forts, castles, and towers (see: Oman’s Fortress Castles and Jabreen Castle). Perhaps this is unsurprising, as the country is called “the land of [a] thousand forts.” These […]  I was distressed to hear about the earthquake in Nepal earlier this month (3 November 2023): multi-storied brick houses in the remote, mountainous districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum collapsed after the 6.4 magnitude (USGS) quake, burying whole families in the rubble. This beautiful country has had a special place in my heart since my […]  Switzerland truly has a magical landscape. And, thanks to a wonderful train system, it’s accessible. We were staying with friends near Zurich (eg: Swiss Apples and National Day and Lines and Patterns). Thanks to their local knowledge, and their recommendation that we pre-purchase Swiss Travel Passes, we had easy access to daily adventures. Mid-summer, we […]  Nestled at the foot of the Hajar Mountains are some of the oldest villages in Oman. This is a rugged, desert region with little rainfall. Settlements could only survive where ground water was available. But, where water was found, it was ingeniously managed. Using a type of irrigation system developed 5000 years ago in Persia, […] |
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