 | 46.
Luang Prabang, Laos (August 2000)A week before we were to fly to Thailand, we saw an episode of "Lonely Planet" on PBS that featured the Laotian town of Luang Prabang. There was something about this town that cried out, "It's now or never." We knew we had to get there.
We somehow squeezed in a three-day visit to this - then - sleepy town. Yes, the heat was oppressive. Yes, clouds - not sun - prevailed. Nevertheless, the charms of this town clearly shone through: French colonial buildings (in various states of renovation and disrepair), Buddhist temples trimmed to the hilt in dazzling gold gilt and the gloriously muddy Mekong River slipping by - almost unnoticed - along the western fringe of town. |
| 2999 Visits
19 Images
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Thailand (July/August 2000)Our trip to Thailand consisted of visiting Bangkok and Chiang Mai - and the areas surrounding them.
Temples, elephant rides and searingly hot (read spicy) food were the highlights. Traffic, pollution and oppressive heat were the downside. The physical landscape (remember, we visited no beaches) underwhelmed us; the man-made landscape, though, stunned us.
But next time, we head south for the beaches. Tuk-tuks, farewell. |
| 2373 Visits
19 Images
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Angkor Wat, Cambodia (August 2000)Unquestionably, one of the wonders of the ancient world.
We sandwiched this visit between our stays in Thailand and Laos. Three days and three nights. More ruins than we could ever have imagined.
Siem Reap - the nearest town to Angkor - was experiencing a building boom. Foundations for future mega-hotels littered the road from the town to Angkor. By now, this strip must be utterly transformed - Las Vegas, Cambodian-style? |
| 2920 Visits
17 Images
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Sumatra, Indonesia (July 1999)As a side trip from our trip to Malaysia, we flew to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Our goal was to reach the mountain town (3,000 feet above sea level) of Bukittinggi - home of the staunchly matrilineal Minangkabau people.
Although we only traveled a few hundred miles by air, Sumatra felt worlds away from the Malay mainland. Gone was the well-ordered transportation network typical of a former British colony (Malaysia). Instead, we were flung into the chaos of Indonesian roadways where every mode of tranport - cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, motorcyles - jockeys for space along with chickens, dogs, horses, pedestrians and the occasional oxen.
The town of Bukittinggi will win no beauty prizes. But the warmth of the people made us believe that it was one of the most attractive places we had ever visited. |
| 3088 Visits
22 Images
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Mainland Malaysia, Borneo & Singapore (June/July 1999)We spent three weeks exploring Malaysia and Singapore during the early summer of 1999.
What was our most memorable experience?
Downing the freshest food possible at the night market in conservative Moslem Kota Bharu? Sharing a walkway with an orangutan at the Semenggok rehabilitation center outside of Kuching? Alternating between feelings of ecstasy and pain during a foot massage in Singapore? Sharing tuak (rice wine drink) with Iban longhouse members in the depths of the Borneo jungle? Or maybe, simply the joy of spying on a giant sea turtle idling on the ocean floor just a few feet off the shore on the Perhentian Islands?
Hard to choose, right? |
| 5289 Visits
36 Images
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Greece (July/August 1998)How can you visit Greece and never set foot on an island? Easy.
Beginning in Athens, we bussed north to Kalambaka in the heart of the spectacular Meteora region of Thessaly. Then down to Delphi, crossing the Gulf of Corinth by boat to Diakofto. By train and bus we made our way to the seaside town of Nauplion - our base for exploring the ruins at Mycenae and Epidarvos. We pressed further south (by driving a "toy" rental car) into the depths of the Pelopennesian peninsula to chill out at the Bay of Limeni. The stone towers of Vathia were just a stone's throw (pun intended) from Limeni. But before turning back to Athens, we drove eastward to Monemvasia - a world heritage town cleverly huddled into the side of a mountain peninsula - and made a pit stop in Sparta.
No islands. A few beaches. Startling landscapes strewn with ancient ruins, monastery-topped mesas and medieval forts and towns. Who needs islands? Well, maybe next time. |
| 4034 Visits
38 Images
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Paris, Amsterdam & Brussels (August 1997)Three capitals. Ten days. Pre-Euro.
We landed in Brussels then scooted by train to Paris. Hunkering down in a small hotel on a pedestrian-only street, we set out to explore Paris' outdoor museum - its streets. After five days of non-stop walking and gaping, we hopped back on the train and headed to Amsterdam.
Amsterdam deserved more than few days that we had. After eyeballing Van Goghs, despairing over Anne Frank, downing shots of ginniver and abandoning time in coffee houses - the days flew by. A bicycle trip to the windmill-landscaped outskirts capped our 3-day mission.
Then off to Brussels and Brugge. Belgium was definitely a letdown after Paris and Amsterdam. Pretty but boring. Next time, encore de Paris...and Amsterdam! |
| 3928 Visits
31 Images
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Southern and Central Mexico (August 1995)In an amazingly circuitous route, we covered a lot of ground in just three weeks in southern and central Mexico.
Landing in Villahermosa - a steamy Gulf town - we grabbed a bus to Palenque (a fabled Mayan ruin set against a lush jungle backdrop) and continued via endless switchbacks to San Cristobal de las Casas.
San Cristobal (the most Guatemalan of Mexican cities) was a terrific pit stop - pleasingly sited at about 7,000 feet above sea level. The highlight: an illuminating day-long tour with Mercedes Hernandez Gomez of the surrounding traditional villages. Not to be missed.
We then hopped on a plane and flew into Oaxaca. Great food, sensational crafts and several must-see archeological sites make this town a destination for any traveller seeking the "real" Mexico.
Another plane and bus ride brought us to the silver capital of Mexico - Taxco. A wonderful colonial gem that is too often merely thought of as a day-tripper's shopping paradise. Several nights stay proved otherwise.
Finally, we rode into Mexico City and took in the sights and pleasures of the most cosmopolitan of Mexican cities. |
| 4174 Visits
28 Images
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Guatemala (August 1994)From the colonial charms of Antigua to the colossal remains of the ancient city of Tikal, Guatemala is easily the most intriguing and culturally diverse country in Central America.
Beginning in Antigua - the touristic epicenter of the Guatemalan Highlands - we ventured out along the "gringo trail" to take in the serene beauty of Lake Atitlan, plunged into the classic market atmosphere of Chichicastenango and absorbed the more traditional village life of Quezaltenango.
With a three-day, two-night mini-van journey over the Honduran border to the Mayan city of Copan and a two-day stay at the entrance to the jungle-shrouded ruins at Tikal, we managed - in two weeks - to take in many of highlights of this fascinating region. |
| 4184 Visits
32 Images
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Central Mexico and the Yucatan (June/July 1992)This Mexican journey combined several classic, Mexican colonial cities with the unrivaled splendors of the ancient cities of the Maya.
Beginning in Mexico City (and the nearby ancient city of Teohtihuacan), we wandered through the "Silver Cities" of central Mexico - San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and Morelia - before flying off to the Yucatan.
After a relaxing for a few days on the island of Isla Mujeres (the laid-back neighbor of Cancun), we drove down the coast to Playa del Carmen and then onto the ruins of Coba and Chichen Itza. |
| 4262 Visits
37 Images
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Kohl Family Photos | Old photos of the Kohl clan. |
| 25 Visits
100 Images
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Two Sissies in Guatemala (August 1994)| A video of us battling a spider in the shower of our bungalow at the Jungle Lodge in Tikal, Guatemala. |
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Peru Oddities (August 2010) | 7 Visits
14 Images
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