Last night I danced with a tarantula
Last night I danced the tarantella, a dance the people of Taranto, a city in the Puglia region of Italy believed would save them from death if they were bitten by a tarantula spider. Their dance involved frenzied spinning and jumping, driving the venom from their bodies, until they dropped to the ground exhausted. My version of the tarantella began around midnight when I spotted a hairy black spider checking out the fern beside my bed. I spun around wildly…thinking I’d grab a coffee table book. .. or something huge to flatten it. Given it was as large as a dinner plate I...
Read MoreHow to travel safely in Guatemala – 16 expert tips
“Is it safe to travel in Guatemala?” is a question I get asked a lot. Although my Guatemalan mother-in-law gives me lots of advice –such as keep your money in your shoe–I thought it would be worthwhile to ask a pro for some travel tips. So during the t Central America Travel Market , held in Antigua, Guatemala I met with a security expert from the Guatemala Tourism Board (INGUAT). His tips are handy for travel in any country. Here’s what I learned: Day of the Dead celebrations in Sumpango Crime levels increase prior to and during holiday periods so...
Read MoreHow to pack for 4 months?
I just finished reading Hiking Boots to High Heels a post on Janice Waugh’s Solo Traveler Blog where she does a great job of explaining how a fashionable woman can squeeze everything she needs for a two-week trip into one carry-on bag. It makes a lot of sense. But so far, I’ve got two suitcases full to the brim for my upcoming trip to Guatemala. And more to go. How does a person pack for an extended trip? Especially if you’re visiting a country where it can be freezing in the mountainous highlands by night and baking in the 40C desert by day? Complicating things is that I...
Read MoreWhere to stay in Oaxaca City, Mexico
Whenever I’m looking for a place to study Spanish for a few weeks and need a safe, quiet and reasonably-priced place to stay, my first choice is Las Mariposas in Oaxaca City. This centrally-located hotel offers studio apartments and is a great spot to escape for a few weeks, take cooking lessons, study Spanish www.vinigulaza.com and take in some spanish films, the art or action in the zocolo. The markets (held different days of the week in various towns in the valleys) offer the opportunity to explore unexcavated Zapotec pyramids or sample local specialties such as Oaxacan cheese,...
Read MoreMy Favorite Bloggers
Culture Tripper
Nerd's Eye View
The Planet D: Canada's Adventure Couple
Trans-Americas Journey
Traveling Light Blog by Travel Writer Colleen Friesen
Wandering CarolLatest Pins on Pinterest
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Amazing Instagram photo by @sethstafford of Oahu's Sean Moody taking on the Mexican Pipeline
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Mercado Global's innovative approach to fighting poverty and empowering indigenous women in Guatemala’s highlands connects their artisan cooperatives to sales opportunities in the U.S. on an unprecedented scale.
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Beautiful Semuc Champey in Guatemala
In 2003, I left the corporate world to try my hand at travel writing. Now, I travel the world, writing about people, places and cuisine. My writing has appeared in over 100 publications and anthologies. 
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