Cheryl
And the Winner Is? Pushkar's legendary camel fair
It’s said Lord Brahma created Pushkar’s sacred lake by dropping a lotus flower into the middle of India’s Thar desert not long after the...
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The Backpacking Boomers
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Cheryl
- Jan 22, 2021
- 3 min
You're a Traveller, Not a Pack-Mule! How to Travel Light Even When Hitting Different Climatic Zones
Looking for the road less travelled? Then ditch the rolling suitcase and sideline the expedition pack. Unless you’re in the personal...
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Cheryl
- Oct 3, 2020
- 3 min
Holy Cow!
The cow has discerning taste. Ignoring a selection of colourful scarves, carved trinkets and jewelry, it homes in on a bag of potato...
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Cheryl
- Sep 17, 2020
- 2 min
Humps and Lumps—Our Camel Safari in an Indian Desert.
Relax, don't hold on so tight, my camel handler advises me. Easier said than done. I’m white-knuckled and stiff as a board; gravity is...
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Cheryl
- Jul 4, 2020
- 11 min
Phalluses and Fertility in The Land of the Thunder Dragon
My husband has been scrolling through websites for what seems like hours, searching for the right tour company to make our dream a...
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Cheryl
- Jul 4, 2020
- 2 min
Trekking to Bhutan's Sacred Tiger's Nest
I'm halfway through my trek and completely out of breath when I see it for the first time—The Tiger's Nest. Clinging to a cliff side 800...
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Cheryl
- May 14, 2020
- 4 min
Foggy Recollections of an Armenian Village
I’m wearing every last bit of clothing I packed, and yet, the dampness seeps through, chilling me to the bone. But the Wings of Tatev...
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Cheryl
- May 3, 2020
- 4 min
The Disappearing Aral Sea
Hulking, rusting ships, part of a former fishing fleet, lie incongruously in their desert graveyard. We're in Moynaq, Uzbekistan, once a...
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Cheryl
- Apr 14, 2020
- 4 min
Life Spills Out into the Streets of Centro Havana
The friendly baker next door shouts ¡Hola, amigos! as we leave our apartment each day. Four weeks into our stay in Centro Havana, we feel...
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Cheryl
- Apr 11, 2020
- 4 min
The Daily Hassle of Buying Basic Necessities in Havana
Jostling for space, we peer through the window of a grocery store in Havana, Cuba. Seeing large containers of water we join the growing...
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Cheryl
- Apr 8, 2020
- 5 min
Escape From Spain-Yes, I'm a Boomer and Yes, My Kids Were Right-I Should Have Come Home Sooner
It doesn’t sink in until we see that our fellow travellers are wearing Tyvek suits, gloves, masks and face shields—we have waited too...
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Cheryl
- Jan 19, 2020
- 4 min
Journey to Lahic, One of the Oldest Human Settlements in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan’s Baku International Bus Terminal, a massive multi-complex packed with stores, is more labyrinth than transit hub. The ticket...
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Cheryl
- Jan 3, 2020
- 4 min
Toro Toro, Bolivia
It's 7am, and we're waiting outside the Toro Toro National Park offices in a town of the same name. There are more guides than tourists...
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Cheryl
- Dec 26, 2019
- 4 min
Tunisia, North Africa
My heart is racing. It's day two of our trip and already I've lost two daughters and a son-in-law. When planning our trip to Tunisia, I...
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Cheryl
- Dec 14, 2019
- 3 min
Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku is lush, verdant, green — and surrounded by desert. Home to 4 million people and a forest of giant trees set amid manicured lawns,...
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Cheryl
- Dec 3, 2019
- 2 min
Karni Mata--Temple of Rats
It's festival time and the small Indian town of Deshnok in Rajasthan, India is awash in colour as pilgrims, dressed in their finest saris...
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Cheryl
- Aug 17, 2019
- 3 min
Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats), Bolivia
Our oldest daughter, Shannon, is skeptical as she scans tour agency reviews. “This one is a no-go,” she says. “The driver got drunk,...
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Cheryl
- Jul 14, 2019
- 2 min
Madidi National Park
Monsoon rains beat on our roof and flood the streets of Rurrenabaque, a tiny town considered to be the gateway to Bolivia’s rain forest....
72 views1 comment
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