Bonjour! It’s a hot and muggy afternoon in Florida, with the thermometer registering 97F, and I am shopping for a wool coat and long boots. The insanity is justified, however. I’m travelling to Montreal in a couple of days, and it’s minus 1 to 6 degrees Celsius (31F)! Changing from flip-flops and orange-blue summery outfit (the Gators’ homecoming explains the choice of colors) to somber and heavy clothing, I headed to the airport under one of those stormy Floridian afternoons. Charged $25 per checked bag, I am reminded that we are still in recession mode. On the flight to Canada, I picked up my travel book, and before I had a chance to open it, the guy next to me, who happened to be a Canadian who commutes weekly to the US where he works, started ... read more

So, the time came again to explore another country in South America, other than my homeland (Brazil). I have always been curious about Chile, the “skinny” (120 miles wide) country squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Latin American country said to be organized, polite, punctual, unlike its neighbors, internationally heard of for years through its famous dictator Pinochet, but more recently for its good wine and sea food. As I parked my car at the “Park Bark & Fly” by the Orlando airport, I thought: “Humm, I parked; I will fly, but I definately won't BARK!” Kind of a /silly name, but at the start of a trip, silliness is always good, right? 2 hours drive to Orlando, 38 minute flight to Miami, an overnight flight heading south, and I wake up in SANTIAGO, ... read more

Sorry it took long to finaly get to my last entry on Turkey, but here it is. Here in Cappadocia I have: 1- hiked THE SURFACE thru villages, mountains and caves 2- I have gone 8 floor levels BELOW THE SURFACE at an Underground city 3- ... and so, the obvious next move would be have to be going ABOVE THE SURFACE, like 1100 meters above ground, on a... HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE Yeah, I did it! The minute I laid my eyes on the fabulous terrain all around me in Cappadocia, I said: "If I'll ever go on a hot balloon ride, it will be here". And so it was. There isn't much negociating on the expensive price, even if you shop around. But it's one of those unique opportunities, and once I made up ... read more

IZMIR We did just a quick business stop in Izmir. Just a big city, nothing really special. The highlight was actually staying at a posh hotel with breakfast on the 37th floor, overlooking the Aegean Sea, while trying 11 types of cheese (out of 13!). I also got to try honey with the hive and all, which is common for breakfast, besides more yummy olives and dried fruit. My taste buds loved the experience but my stomach had to handle the bad consequences, probably from all the chesses. Being largely Muslin, the Turks don’t eat or touch pork, but at the Hilton, bacon was on the menu, for 9 Euros. You'd have to be a bacon-lover-rich-foreigner to order it… ESKI FOCA (Old Foca) We took a 2 hour bus ridefrom Izmir to the small coastal fishing ... read more

The uneasy feeling about Turkey generated by the movie “Midnight Express” has long been replaced about great curiosity about the country. While hopping around the Greek Islands years ago, many were the tourists telling me: “If you like Greece, you will love Turkey”. Surprised, I’d exclaim an astonished “Really!?", followed by a curious “Why?”, to hear answers like: “The people are friendly, the food is delicious, traveling and shopping is a bargain”. Turkey than became my dream destinatıon even though it's no longer a bargain destination. My curiosity about the Turkish culture has endured time. The world political climate after September 11 made me abandon the idea to venture into any Muslim country for a while. But since the world “climate” has improved and my reasons to go places are purely cultural, I refuse to let ... read more