hambone

Bocas Del Toro Archipelago Bocas Del Toro is a series of 300 spectacular, tropical islands in northern Panama (very close to Costa Rica’s southern border), along the Caribbean coast. You can only get there by boat or plane, and once there, water taxi is the most common form of transportation. Isla Colon has roads while the rest do not — hence you need a boat to navigate these islands. My other Travel Blog -- Bocus Checkout an amalgamation of videos taken in Bocus I flew in from Panama City but next time I will take a shuttle from San Jose, Costa Rica. Bocas Town is the main town is on the main island, Colon, the epitome of small, sleepy, beach town and definitely worth a visit! The common approach for a visitor is to stay in ... read more

What a city to take pictures — especially on the water, on the routes of the ferries that constantly shuttle between 2 continents that the city straddles. Check out this amalgamation of videos taken during our visit There’s a lot to like about Istanbul. As the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires (and even the Roman Empire just before its collapse), it has an amazing history. As a commercial and political center and the largest city on earth for a very long time — it attracted many ethnic groups, all of whom left their marks. Modern day Istanbul is a major city in Turkey with a population of 15.5 million residents including at least 1 million displaced Syrians. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet ... read more

The Galapagos has been a dream destination of mine for a long time, and I thought the experience of up close encounters with unique animals not found anywhere else and pristine island paradise scenery was unparalleled.The animals and birds are remarkably tame -- no fear of humans. This sea lion hangs around the fish market & the employee feeds it scraps. I walked right up to a Blue Heron without it flinching. At the beginning of the island adventure I spent 2 days on the main island, Santa Cruz then 3 days each on Isabela & San Cristobal. I did not visit the third island, Floreana. It takes approximately 2 hours by speedboat between these inhabited islands. I did a bunch of snorkeling & saw an amazing amount of sea turtles, sea lions, sea horses, and ... read more

Jaipur -- #3 on our North Indian Adventure We flew on Kingfisher Airlines from Amritsar to Jaipur (via Delhi). Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, a state in North Western region of India. Rajasthan is the biggest state in the country and the name means the Land of Kings (Raja = King & Sthan = Place). Jaipur was the first of 3 cities we visited in Rajasthan. Jaipur is named after the King Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of the city. It is famous as a tourist destination for its palaces and forts. There are other specialties like handicraft, jewelry, garments, precious & colored stones, furnishings and other craft items, which make Jaipur a shopping haven. Jaipur is among the first planned cities in modern Asia, with straight roads cutting each other at right angles, wide ... read more

The trip is over but the memories are many. I spent the last few hours on the subcontinent in Mumbai with my guide, Amin. Anyone vaguely interested in Mumbai (Bombay) should check out this novel http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2004-11-17-shantaram_x.htm and also use the services of Amin who loves the city to take you on a memorable tour -- check Amin out at: www.snehatravels.in . Heres some pictures of the travellers, the faces and inanimates that will stay in the memory bank for a long time. Here is an excerpt from Jan's diary re: the trip (I could not be as eloquent): "India is more than just a foreign country with different customs. It's an ancient land. People talk about its timeless quality. That's more than poetic description. I could not have experienced a greater range of contrasts on my ... read more