I have been to the following places for either business or pleasure.
Toronto, Ontario. I lived in Toronto for six weeks and attended the seventh grade at King Edward School. I remember the winters being really cold. Also, I never forgot how well developed the Canadian transportation system is. There are electric street cars, electric buses, taxis and subways. The subways are very clean and for the most part safe and quiet.
Montreal, Quebec. I visited Montreal as a part of a university sponsored tour. It was great. I became enamored with the Old Port area, Le Vieux Port as the French say. I couldn't get over the immensity of the ships docked there, not to mention their anchors. In another part of the city, there is a tower at Le Stade Olimpique where the public can get a panoramic view of the entire city. At the base of the tower is an area where you can read all about the tallest structures in the world. In the same area there is a multi-media theater that gives viewers a full sensory tour of the city's more notable sites.
Quebec City, Quebec. I visited Quebec City as a part of an independent tour group. We stayed at a hotel in the heart of old Quebec City or Le Vieux Quebec, which is truly a mesmerizing city. One highlight of the trip was Le Chute de Montemorency or the Montemorency Waterfall. It is great to visit Quebec City during the winter time to see all of the ice and snow sculptures.
Anchorage, Alaska. I worked at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage as a member of a military funded project for a Princeton-based company. While there, I experienced an earthquake that registered 5.5 on the Richter scale. Was I scared? Nah, piece of cake! I came across many earthquakes during my childhood days in my hometown of Ambato, Ecuador. The natural landscape in Alaska is awesome, to say the least. The F15s that constantly flew overhead stirred up the spirit too!
San Francisco, California. I worked in San Francisco as a member of a Software Engineering Division for a Princeton-based company. I was determined, in part mind you, to find out what all the rave was regarding this American city. Now I know. In my opinion, San Francisco is not much different than most South American countries. There are a lot of hills and houses ANCHORED? on top of them. (I am not sure about anchored because I saw many collapsed structures. Whoops!) Dining and tourism are major city events. Almost every town, park, street, or business has a Spanish name, so brush up on your Spanish vocabulary if you intend to go.
Treasure Island, Florida. I lived there for 4 years. They were the most peaceful and happiest years of my life. In all that time however, I was never able to find any of that legendary treasure. At any rate, I remember doing a lot of fishing, beachcombing, and sunbathing. What a life!
Tampa, Florida. I didn't really spend a lot of time there. But I always remember going to the Busch Gardens theme park. This is probably because it was closer than Disney and there was a pay one price at the door deal that Disney didn't have back in the late 1970s.
Daytona Beach, Florida. I found myself there once during a Spring Break trip while still an undergraduate at Rutgers University. This place comes alive with fervor during the month of March. Students from almost every American state and Canadian province are represented at this yearly ritual.
Pensacola, Florida. I field tested software at Tindall Air Force Base in Pensacola for a military funded project at a Princeton-based company. Our return flight was something to be remembered. We were stationed some 45 minutes from the airport and almost suddenly the weather turned real bad. We drove under the heaviest downpour I have ever swallowed. It was so bad we had to pull over to the side of the road to avoid an accident. Once we reached the airport, our flight was temporarily delayed due to severe thunderstorm activity and tornado warnings. Needless to say, we made it home safely.
Mankato, Minnesota. I spent four days in Mankato for company training. This city is about 75 miles from Minneapolis and I drove past miles upon miles of extensive farmland. This state apparently does not have a motorcycle helmet law because most bikers I saw did not wear them. One of the most impressive parts of Minnesota is the Mall of America. Pack bottled water and wear hiking shoes because this mall is four levels high and big enough to contain an indoor amusement park complete with rollercoaster and water log rides. The parking deck alone is large enough to cast a shadow over most average sized malls. This trip was my first in depth experience to America's Midwest region and I want to see other parts someday.
Buenos Aires, Argentina. I spent ten memorable days in downtown Buenos Aires in January of 1996. The food was good and the variety just as great. If you go, try the beef and sip some of their local beer, Quilmes. You won't be disappointed. I took advantage of all the free time and toured parts of this extremely large city on foot. The exercise was fine but I got a bit of a tan in mid-January. To get an idea of what Buenos Aires is like, try to picture (it might be hard) New York City only-- cleaner, safer, and architecturally richer. For these reasons, Buenos Aires has been referred to in some circles as the "Paris of South America." Buenos Aires has a port area that is comparable to the Old Port in Montreal. At the port, you can take a ride on a ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay for about 50 dollars. Customs is taken care of right there at the port. The trip takes only 2 hours and the accommodations are ample. One of the more noticeable parts of the trip is the extremely caramel colored water of the Rio de la Plata that the ferry whisks over. I returned to Buenos Aires in February of 1999 for another ten day vacation. I attended a wedding that featured some Jewish traditions and a little taste of Brazilian Carnival celebrations. I also sailed the Rio de la Plata on a sailboat.
Blackbird Caye, Belize. On this SCUBA trip I completed a total of 15 dives. I saw parrotfish, squirrelfish, flying fish, spotted eagle rays and a moral eel. Aside from the usual sea life this trip offered my first encounter with a sea turtle and a salt water crocodile. The turtle was too far away for any meaningful contact. The crocodile however made a nightly visit to the dock of the Caye for the habitual feeding of kitchen leftovers. I did not see a shark during this trip, even though they were expected. The trip will be most remembered for the 10 minute encounter with a half dozen or so dolphins that paid us a visit during the ascent of one dive. They appeared genuinely curious by our presence and appearance as I gazed profoundly into the eye of one dolphin. Another highlight of the trip was the nearly surreal dive to a submerged stalactite and stalagmite cave. We passed a halocline before reaching the site which appeared almost dreamlike. The coast off Belize is consistently windy so I took advantage of this and sailed a sunfish sailboat near the Caye.
Ambato, Ecuador. I was born in Ambato in 1967. I guess one way to begin to describe my hometown is by giving you a geometry and geography lesson. Here we go. Picture in your mind an almost equilateral triangle and a point located approximately at equal distances from all the angles. That could put you near the center. OK, still with me? Now imagine one dormant and two active snowcapped volcanoes at each corner of the triangle. Also imagine a town located at the center of the triangle. Throw in some rivers, some hills, some valleys and that's pretty much the landscape that I grew up with during my childhood in Ambato, Ecuador. The memories are still vivid and why wouldn't they be? The sun shines brightly year round at that elevation of the Andes Mountains. (Over 8,000 feet at some points.) I could go on forever but it would be better if you took a two week vacation there. You may be surprised at the abundance of European tourists.
Atacames, Ecuador. I will briefly mention that not too long ago I finally toured the coastal area of Ecuador. Until then I only knew Ambato and the tourist city of Banos.
Utila Island, Honduras. In Spanish "honduras" means depths or profundity. On my first trip to Honduras I went scuba diving into the "deep" clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. I completed a total of 14 dives, two of which took place at night. I witnessed the awesome presence of a shark that came to within 15 feet of our group of divers. Putting the film-inspired tyrannical image of this beast aside, the shark is an aethestically pleasing animal possessing precise underwater manueverability. The shark appeared to be just as startled by the encounter as we were and proceeded to move on to depths and destinations unknown. Another equally startling encounter was the sighting of a pair of Spotted Eagle Rays. Normally one might expect to see a flying animal in the air, but these Rays give the illusion of flying underwater. It is truly graceful motion overshadowed only by their immense size and odd anatomy. As if that wasn't enough there were Flying Fish taking to the air above the waves on the perimeter of the dive boat. On the lighter side of the ecological scale, we were "showered" with abundant species of fish. One in particular caught my attention, the Parrot Fish. If a school of Parrot Fish harbor an entire female population and lack a male for mating this amazing fish will spontaneously change to the opposite sex! As you can see this trip was quite unlike any of the others described here.
Montevideo, Uruguay. I never expected to tour this country but since I discovered the ferry from Buenos Aires I decided to explore Uruguay. At first, Montevideo was a bit of a disappointment. I mean that all the buildings and houses were painted some shade of gray. The abundant concrete surfaces overshadowed any indication of nature such as grass and flowers. Once out of the urban area, the bus ride to the coastal area of Punta Del Este was spectacular. On the way I saw lots of wide open spaces, farm animals, mountains, and highway billboards. Some of them with familiar products and services such as MasterCard, Visa, and Toyota, to name a few. On my return trip home however, I was detoured to the city of Colonia instead of Montevideo. All in all, the bus ride through Uruguay turned out to be a worthwhile adventure.
Punta Del Este, Uruguay. This has got to be the best kept vacation secret in South America. The blue sea serenely meshes with the warm, yellow, almost blinding sands of the beach. Tall, colorful hotels pierce the sky and create a mosaic of color and geometry between the beach and the surrounding city. By all means don't take my word for it, go there and see for yourself! In some circles Uruguay is referred to as the "Switzerland of South America." I tend to agree.
Caracas, Venezuela. Two of the most notable things about this country is the petroleum and the women. The economy is not the best it could be and perhaps that is why some people are forced to live in slum areas, or crowded apartment buildings, and have unconventional ways of making a living. Another notable thing in and out of Caracas are the proliferation of dated American cars. About the only stylistic means of travel is the Metro system, which by the way is very clean, quiet, and efficient. I have seen similar Metro systems in Canada and Argentina. Also, Caracas has a commercial zone that is strikingly similiar to La Calle Florida in Argentina, it is called La Sabana Grande. If you eventually decide to visit this country enjoy the sights because there are a lot of them in Venezuela.
Bogota, Colombia. I spent ten days in the capital city of Colombia. I did a lot of sight-seeing during that time. I had lunch at a place called La Calera which provides a panoramic view of Bogota from a mountain. But the view was even more breathtaking from a place called Monserrate. You ascend to Monserrate via a vehicle called el Funicular that climbs a very steep side of the mountain on tracks. You can also ascend to Monserrate via a cable car called el Teleferico. I have heard that this is similar to the way you ascend the Eiffel Tower in France. Once on top, there is a church you can visit as well as small craft shops where you can buy souvenirs. There is also one really fancy restaurant called La Casa de San Isidro that features live piano music and a candle light atmosphere.
Portugal. We arrived at the airport in Lisbon and immediately noticed a castle off in the distance. We took a bus to the city of Fatima where we made daily visits to the Basilica for nightly processions devoted to Our Lady Of Fatima. While there we also participated in a scapular investiture at St. Joseph's Carmelite Monastery. At Braga we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Samero where there were breathtaking views of the surrounding towns. Later we visited a cathedral and nearby university and eventually had dinner at a McDonalds located near pedestrian-only shopping streets. At Batalia we visited a church that had breathtaking views and also a cathedral. We briefly explored the city of Coimbra and the countryside of Balazar.
Be on the look out for travel stories from future trips. Below is a list of places I plan to visit.