The Nichi Bei asked me to provide answers to many travel questions for a special New Year’s article. My number one advice is: GO NOW. Waiting until retirement may result in old age problems that discourage travel and result in you sitting in the rocking chair mumbling, “If only I had…†How to Book Deals: […]
The Kaeru Kid
THE KAERU KID: Journey to Jordan (pt. 2)
December 16, 2011 by 1 Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series. Our final destination was known as the “High Place of Sacrifice†platform (which was supposedly gold covered in ancient times) where animal sacrifices were carried out. Channels can still be seen where blood drained away. Riding horseback close to this area allowed me to conserve […]
THE KAERU KID: Journey to Jordan
December 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series. I left Damascus by again taking a shared SUV for $20 to Amman, Jordan that takes about three hours, not including the time it takes to clear passport. It took about two hours to clear passport control for both Syria and Jordan, but it would […]
THE KAERU KID: Seriously, Syria (Pt. 2)
December 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series. I treated my couch surfer host to dinner at Al Khawali restaurant, which is located in an old house with a lovely courtyard in Old Town. The food was delicious and reasonable. Supposedly, Sen. John Kerry once had dinner here. When I was first planning […]
Seriously, Syria
November 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series. There are so many “hot spots†around the world that tourists are frightened to visit, such as Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Iraq and even Israel. Visas are also not easy for Americans to obtain. While all of these countries have unique sites of special interest […]
THE KAERU KID: Norway (Pt. 2)
November 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series. It was time to move on to the capital, Oslo, voted as the most expensive city in the world in 2010. I had purchased advance airfare tickets and found a low price from Bergen to Oslo, but at the last minute discovered that the flight […]
THE KAERU KID: Norway
November 3, 2011 by 1 Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series. A friend in Oslo told me that the word Norway meant heading toward the north from Sweden and the name stuck to the entire country. Norway is similar to Sweden in many ways. They share the same Scandinavian heritage and their languages are similar enough […]
THE KAERU KID: Visit to Samiland (Pt. 2)
October 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I left Stockholm to fly to Gällivare in northern Sweden in order to visit the Sámi people. The town of Gällivare is rather small and it is noteworthy for having a large iron mining operation. I arrived on a Sunday, so mine tours were not operating. The town is so small that one can see […]
THE KAERU KID: Beautiful, but costly Sweden (Pt. 1)
October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A friend of Scandinavian descent has visited Sweden the past two years and his stories whetted my appetite to visit this lovely country. Sweden has so many pleasant features, such as no visa requirement; no customs hassle; the majority of inhabitants speak English well; people are helpful when asked for directions; pleasant summer weather with […]
THE KAERU KID: The Kaeru Kid ventures into the Middle East (part 1 of 2)
July 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
While I have visited the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus and Turkey in the past, there were still many other countries in that area that looked inviting. Regional conflicts, however, seemed to make certain areas too risky. I wish I had visited Iraq when it was still safe to do so. […]
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