An American Abroad
It was the name that caught my eye first. It's a bizarre world indeed. The name seemed to sum up the last six weeks of my life during which I moved from Toledo, Ohio to San Juan, Puerto Rico, took a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Dominican … [Continue reading]
On the day before Yom Kippur, I skipped lunch and walked over to the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue here in Willemstad, a temple which holds the distinction of being the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas. It dates from 1732 and is … [Continue reading]
I probably won't get hired by the Curaçao tourist board as the photographer for their next brochure. After eight days here, I have taken exactly one photo of the beach and something like 300 photos of the sometimes-grittier side of Willemstad. … [Continue reading]
Concluding my account of the circumnavigation of Puerto Rico just three days before Hurricane Maria struck . . . . After a brief stop in Salinas and a foray into the jungle in search of the Doña Juana waterfall, I headed west by northwest on Route … [Continue reading]
Continuing my story of what Puerto Rico was like just before it was ravaged by Hurricane Maria . . . After my quick stop in Salinas, I continued west. Midway between Santa Isabel and Ponce, I swung north on Route 149 and back up into the … [Continue reading]
September 16, 2017 was the last day before news of the approach of Hurricane Maria drastically altered my course. I had bought a used Toyota 4Runner four days earlier. That Saturday was the first free day I'd had since then to get out of the San Juan … [Continue reading]
Curaçao is a Dutch island about 50 miles off the Venezuelan coast. About 160,000 people live on this island, of whom more than 90% live in the capital city, Willemstad. It was here I flew on Monday, September 18 to avoid the wrath of Hurricane Maria … [Continue reading]
My visit to the Dominican Republic was all too short. So as not to spread myself too thin or spend too much of my time in transit, I concentrated on the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was the first permanent European … [Continue reading]
There are so many ancient churches, convents, and monasteries in Santo Domingo that it seems like the authorities have forgotten about half of them. One such unrestored site is the Monasterio de San Francisco and was located just a few blocks from … [Continue reading]
One of the great things about staying in hostels is that it's easy to meet people who are going out to see what's to be seen, just like you. I like traveling alone. But I also enjoy connecting with other travelers for short excursions. Which is what … [Continue reading]
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