The Volcanoes of Central America

Phtotos :Jann Segal
Volcanoes at Lake Atitilan

Volcanos are a fact of life in Central America, a part of the world that has seen its share of natural beauty and natural disasters. This part of the hemisphere is actually part of the Ring of Fire, since so many volcanoes dot the landscape, and number in  the 20s in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua each, while Honduras has only four and Belize has none. They are as powerful in their destructiveness over time as they are in their beauty and contribution to Central America as a vital natural resource. They are a source of beauty along the Flower Route of El Salvador, verdant greenery to die for in Nicaragua, and their soil is a source of  rich and flavorful coffee throughout all the countries in the region, from Nicaragua to Honduras. Ancient Mayans had to deal with the destruction of the volcanoes, and throughout more modern history, so have the more current residents.

Explore the Treat that is Copan, Honduras

Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones to have an unforgettable experience. I have heard many things about Honduras over the years. About the beauty and murders. And the contradiction that is Central America, since Honduras can boast having a city that is the murder capital of the world. . But when I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip, Route of the Maya, we spent two nights in Copan, Honduras to see the ruins at Copan. It was a true highlight for me. And I have seen my share of ruins before.

The Benches and Fences of Central America

Photos: Jann Segal

On a recent trip to Central America with Overseas Adventure Travel, on their wonderful Route of the Maya adventure, I got caught up in noticing benches – yes, benches. Why would something as simple as a bench catch my attention, I was asked. Well, I figured that after I took enough photos of benches, I would figure it out. And figure it out I did.

Traveling to Observe Traditions – Kites, Fireworks and Pottery in Guatemala

Photos: Jann Segal

On a recent trip I took to Guatemala with OverseasAdventure Travel, their marvelous Route of the Maya adventure, our group had the experience - and privilege - of observing the people uphold some of their oldest and most cherished traditions; kite making, firework making , and pottery making. And we were able to experience this all in one day!

What’s Cooking in Central America – Exploring the Local Food

Photo: Stephen Shurtz

I knew I was in for a treat in Central America when I was flying to Managua for two weeks of independent travel before joining the Overseas Adventure Travel tour, Route of the Maya. I should have known that I was in for some interesting food when I was talking to a Nicaraguan woman next to me on the plane. She gave me some interesting food tips. Not only did she mention plantains to me which I love anyway, but also told me that they are often served with hot cow cheese. This turned out to be a daily routine for me at breakfast while in Nicaragua. It looked like feta cheese, but there were no goats that I could see in Nicaragua. Truly a unique culinary experience.

The Contradiction that is Central America

I was recently in Central America with Overseas AdventureTravel on their trip, Route of the Maya. This is a wonderful trip for anyone wanting to explore Central America for the first time. For me however, it was my fourth time back there, and my goal was to finish seeing the rest of the Central American countries I had not seen. It was a surprise to me that they felt complemented that I wanted to return. They are a kind and gracious people, so if they were complemented in this way, I was more than happy to oblige. 

Solo Travel: The Mystical, Magical, Musical Soul of India

I am the sort of person who has a smile on my face standing in the TSA line at LAX.  I never underestimate that which always makes me feel this happy. Most recently, it was on the way to Singapore, as part of a 5 week solo journey which included the Overseas Adventure Travel Soul of India trip.

Celebrate Cultural Connections: Women Preserving their Heritage

Photos: Jann Segal

I observe when I travel. It is part of my sightseeing experience, but more often part of my post –trip reflections. I have felt the tears of history in Vietnam; observed how clotheslines can reflect how an entire society lives all over the world, and very particularly in India; and beyond doubt, how women preserve their culture and heritage worldwide. I am sure that men participate somehow along the line, but it seems that the role of women is more prominent. Performing small acts or rituals to preserve cultural heritage is truly something to celebrate no matter the culture. For an understanding of different cultures makes us richer. Many countries have women’s cooperatives where this activity is nourished, and the women are afforded a livelihood as well.  As it turns out, the countries where I have observed this most prominently were countries I also wanted to return. In two cases, these were countries I visited on an independent trip and later returned with Overseas Adventure Travels. In the case of India, I took an OAT trip there to two separate regions, but also included independent travel.  In all cases, the way the women preserved their heritage was unmistakable.

Visit Southern India’s Temples and Behold the Excellency of Life in Tamil Nadu

Photos: Jann Segal

I recently took a tour of Southern India, and one of  the highlights was seeing the magnificent temples. India is known for them, and while the southern Indian temples look alike on the outside with a large base that gets steeper as the temple reaches skyward, the experience inside the temples could not have been more unique. I traveled alone for some of the trip, and the rest was the Overseas Adventure Travels trip, Soul of India. And this trip truly feeds your soul.

Visit India during Festival Season

I was fortunate enough to visit Southern India during their festival season in January of this year. I took the trip with Overseas Adventure Travel, but added two additional weeks in India by myself. I had no idea this would allow me even more festival time to enjoy when I planned the trip, but it turned out to be wonderful.

The group was in the state of Tamil Nadu during their their annual Pongal festival, which is a harvest festival. The festival is timed each year around the lunar calendar. On the f first day of the festival, the people burn belongings that they no longer need and cant give to charity. So the air is filled with quite a bit of smoke the first day. The people get up as early as four in the mooring to begin this ritual, and smoke cans be seen throughout the entire day.

Photos: Jann Segal

The second day of the festival, the people present a bowl of the Pongal (rice and milk blended together what other ingredients as well if desired) to the sun god in an earthen pot and place it outside their homes as an offering. They also create large and colorful designs outside their homes with lime powder known as Kollams. The colorful designs remain throughout the duration of the four days and typically until a rain washes them away afterwards. They are one of the foremost symbols of the Pongal festival, and for travelers, they are photographic delight of color.

Explore Clotheslines in Southern India

Photos: Jann Segal

I am always fascinated by clotheslines when I travel .So intrigued in fact, that I wrote an article called Clotheslines, and as I perused my photos for trips I have taken around the world, I identified all the different types of clotheslines I had observed, and what they were used for.

Visit India’s Karela Backwaters for a Look at Rural Life

I was on the Overseas Adventure Travels trip to southern India called Soul of India in January this year. One of the highlights of this newly revised tip was spending two nights on a houseboat on the backwaters of the Southern state of Karela. And to use an Indian parlance that I noticed on my trip, where something can be “like X, but not X," I noticed the backwaters ware like the Amazon, but not like the Amazon.  We left the spice plantation where we stayed in Thekkady near Perriyar National Park, drove through the verdant tea and rubber plantations, and arrived at our houseboat in Alleppey after first stopping to see the “loo with a view.”

Visit Southern India for a Multitude of Blessings

Photo: Jann Segal

I was in Southern India with Overseas Adventure Travels for two weeks this year, and added an additional two weeks on my own afterwards. Their Southern India trip, Soul of India, is rich with the culture and natural beauty that typifies soulful southern India. It was truly inspiring to be in a country with such religious and ethnic diversity. And even during troubled times, their diversity and religious freedom is part of their law, embedded in their constitution. So while Hinduism is a dominant religion there, so is Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkim, and Christianity, Judaism had seedlings there as well, with many in the large Jewish population playing an important part in the spice and tea trades of the South before the people moved on as part of their own diaspora. Aside from the religious diversity, the Indian people there speak over 137 languages, and have over 3,000 casts and sub-casts!

Visit Iceland in the Fall and Enjoy Northern Lights and John Lennon Peace Tower

Iceland in the fall has some great things to see that cannot be seen in the summer, all having to do with lights. To two that you want to take in are the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and the John Lennon Peace Tower. I was on the Overseas Adventure Travel trip, Untamed Iceland, in October 2016. In addition to seeing the fall colors, these two “light shows” were high on my Iceland to-do list. I did not return home disappointed.

Explore Iceland: High winds and empty spaces

Iceland is a vast amount of small land. That is right.  Vast in its smallness, a land of contradictions. A land where people live in harmony, but not necessarily near any neighbors. It is rich in the soil from the volcanoes, yet also rich in empty and barren land. There are dark and murky waters and streams with lava flows near enormous lava fields which are overlooked by abundant rainbows. This land, rich in large and empty spaces, was the first to develop the small and traditional turf houses. Today, there are still numerous tiny houses everywhere.  This is the land of fire. And the land of ice. A land of contradictions.

Clotheslines: An open window to the soul of a people

Photo: Dan King

Clotheslines are a window into the soul of other people’s lives. From a seemingly small part of life, you can observe the daily ins and outs of the culture, the things you don’t get to see as a tourist. This is part of why we travel. Not just to see the sights, hear the sounds, and taste the wonderful food. We also travel to gain some insight into how the locals live, maybe even get to meet the people. Taking a look at the clotheslines outside of someone’s home is a perfect way to gain this understanding. And many tours give you the opportunity to see that, thus allowing us to understand the social and economic conditions of a country and the people who live there. But if they don’t, pay attention to the sights you see along the way. Even an unwitting tour guide will pass a local community on the way to a major sight. Some of the places that have given me this particular vantage point I took with Grand Circle Travel (www.gct.com ) or Overseas Adventure Travel (www.oattravel.com ). And of course, many I have taken independently.

Exploring South Africa, Malaria Free

I was greatly disappointed to learn during some of my recent adventurous travels, that I get severe reactions to all the various anti-malarial drugs.  For this reason, I felt that I would never be able to go on an African safari. Of course I consulted my physician, but I also did a significant amount of research. In the end, I took a magnificent trip to South Africa with Grand Circle Travels (www.gct.com) on their Highlights of South Africa trip. I traveled from May 12 to June 11 2016.  I ended up taking a wonderful cultural tour that hit all the high notes of South Africa, and also had 12 safari days out of 30, and not one mosquito bite! 

A Walk in the Park in South Africa

One thing I had not planned on was taking so many great hikes and nature walks in South Africa. I went on the Grand Circle Highlights of South Africa trip, which I took in conjunction with Outlook Safaris Classic Safari trip. This was exactly the combination of trips I wanted to take in South Africa, since I wanted to enjoy both the nature and culture. This trip had it all! South Africa is a land of true unrivaled beauty with a variety of vast and stunning scenery. Being able to hike amongst it was a real treasure that provided some unforgettable experiences.  I traveled from May 12 to June 11, 2016.  I purchased my own pre-trip from Outlook Safaris (http://www.outlook.co.za/)  and the South Africa base trip and post trip to Victoria Falls from Grand Circle (www.gct.com) .

The Smart Traveler: When Things Don't go as Planned

Things do not always go as planned on a trip. You can travel with as much planning and care as your mother would approve of, and still the unexpected happens. Travel surprises can occur on every trip, but the smart and experienced traveler can always find a solution, and return home that much more a savvy traveler.

Visit Vietnam and Feel the Tears of History

There is no denying that travelers can feel the tug of history when they travel. I have unknowingly felt it several times, only to realize later what it was. In Munch, Germany in 1973, I felt intimidated for some unknown reason. As it turned out, I was on a street where Hitler had given a famous speech, and where many buildings stood that were part of the Third Reich. In 1994, I stood on the pier in Famagusta, Cyprus and took my time amid the fact that I was holding up my taxi and others I was traveling with. I lingered for some unknown reason. I learned only when I got home, that was the dock where the ship The Exodus was turned back and all on board faced certain death. In Cove, Ireland in 2010, I stood where many immigrant ships departed including the Titanic, and tears streamed down my cheeks. This became all the more personal for me, when I later realized my paternal grandmother likely left from those very docks since she had attained an Irish surname, quite a departure for a Russian refugee. I thought all my grandparents had departed for the New World from Russia via Liverpool, but she was the only one I could not locate on Ancestry.com. My ancestry had located me.