I am not a coffee drinker, so I was literally going along for the ride with my fellow Bella Guatemala Travel tour group as we left Antigua for Café Azoteca Coffee Estate. In business since 1883, our coffee museum guide began the estate tour by explaining coffee production worldwide before telling us about the history and traditions here. Azotea farm
Natchez, Mississippi’s Longwood Antebellum Mansion
A time capsule from 1861, when construction stopped because of the Civil War, Longwood tells the story of a nation in conflict and a family caught in the middle. The six-story 30,000 square foot octagon mansion was to be the dream home of wealthy planter Haller Nutt, his wife Julia, and their 11 children. Designed by Samuel Sloan of Philadelphia,
Ho Chi Minh City Cyclo Tour – What a way to see the city!
A cyclo is three-wheeled bicycle taxi popular in Vietnam and, for an afternoon, my transportation around bustling Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I was with an Exodus Travels tour group — my family for two weeks last summer. Almost the entire group decided to go on the tour. We were going on an adventure with Cyclo City Tour along main thoroughfares
Park offers insight into Mexico’s rich heritage
When choosing a shore excursion I often pick one that will allow me to better understand the country I am visiting. So recently, as a passenger on the Carnival Breeze, I decided to visit Discover Mexico Park while in Cozumel. As it turned out, it was a very good decision. The first area in the museum was a four-screen video
Sometimes it’s good to just take a break
It’s a three hour drive from my home in Henderson, Texas, to the north side of Houston where I had a meeting on a Friday afternoon. I knew I could drive back home on the same day, but I decided to spend the night at The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center. I wasn’t disappointed with my decision. The Woodlands (the
Finding the past and the future of Romania at the Village Museum
The history of Romania during the communist reign of Nicolae Ceausescu is bleak with its unimaginable oppression and violence, but I found hope in the Village Museum in Bucharest on a Viking Cruises excursion. This was the end of my week-long Passages to Eastern Europe cruise; a look at nations rebuilding after being under such tyranny. I met so many
Iconic memory of the Taj Mahal
Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us. Oscar Wilde All too often, as a travel writer and photographer, I get home, edit my photos, write any print assignment articles, post the photos on social media and write blog posts before heading to my next adventure forgetting to look back once in a while. Recently though, I
Luggage to withstand airline handling
I travel a lot; usually one international destination a month. So I am always on the lookout for the very best in packing tools — the right luggage, packing cubes, RFID totes and so forth. My beautiful hard-sided luggage was, shall we say, a little mistreated by several airlines this past year. With each trip, little by little, cracks began
Exploring Guatemala and Pacaya Volcano National Park
When our tour group arrives, we are immediately surrounded by horses and their owners, each speaking rapid Spanish asking us if we want to ride to the top of the mountain overlooking Pacaya Volcano. Our Bella Guatemala Travel guides Jose Antonio Gonzalez and Emilio Faillace have already arranged for our horses, so we politely make our way past the eager
The Beauty of Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord
A fjord is a long, narrow inlet created by glacial erosion. Fjords can be found all over the world, but in Alaska they are especially beautiful. Tracy Arm Fjord — named for Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Franklin Tracy (in office 1889 to 1893) — is a spectacular cruise destination with hundreds of waterfalls flowing down its cliffs, a huge