Travel

I was asked by a friend to put together a trip to Belize for five or six people. I’d never been to Belize so it was quite a challenge to figure out where we might go, and more importantly, how we would get there.

He didn’t want to spend a lot of money and suggested we stay in a rented house together so we could cook. He and his wife were vegans, so eating in restaurants was a challenge. Read More

Editor’s note: Kerri and Jason Frazier and their 8-year-old daughter Sydney are traveling around the world. So far, they have visited Europe and the Middle East. They are currently traveling in Thailand. Kerri is the daughter of local storyteller, ecologist and artist Teralene Foxx of Los Alamos.

 

At the mere mention of Jordan, Petra immediately comes to mind with its’ ancient tombs carved into sandstone rock, Read More

Not too long ago, I wrote about money security and how easy it is to lose one’s debit card in machines that “eat” them.

Well, now on a trip through Belize, I made the mistake of not retrieving my card, so I lost it. What a shock that was! But it’s just the sort of thing that can happen to anyone.

A few days ago, I went to an ATM in Ladyville, sandwiched between the bank and the grocery store. It was 4 p.m. I tried to get a thousand Belize dollars. The machine said I didn’t have enough in my account, which wasn’t true. I tried a smaller amount, then an even smaller amount, Read More

When I turned 15, my family lived in the Panhandle of Texas. The town, Dimmitt, wasn’t exactly the buckle on the Bible Belt, but it was definitely one of the holes.

The city fathers believed that dancing was a sin-like playing cards and drinking alcohol. Playing cards leads to gambling, drinking alcohol leads to a life of debauchery, and dancing leads to sinful unmarried sex.

We never had a dance at the high school for prom or homecoming but Read More

No matter where you go, even if they speak your language, every country in the world presents something to the traveler that is surprising, possibly even shocking.

Coming home after being away for some time can be a kind of culture shock as well. Each time I return to the U.S., I am struck with how little time people spend meeting my gaze. In many other countries, when people speak to you they look you in the eye the whole time. It’s not meant to be threatening. The steady gaze is just their way of seeing you as a human being. But to Americans, who don’t spend Read More