The recommended way to climb Mount Fuji, or Fuji-san as it is called in Japan, is to begin at midnight in the summer months when the weather is less volatile and extreme. Hikers carry flashlights or don lighted headbands to illuminate the trail. The goal is to arrive at the top for sunrise, then descendContinue reading “Hiking Mt Fuji”
Category Archives: Photography
Reading on the road
In a recent post about Iceland, I mentioned that I often purchase books as part of my further education while traveling in a country. I look for a local bookstore, peruse the English translations, and inquire about notable classics. Often, it’s a volume that’s studied in school by students of that land. These stories provideContinue reading “Reading on the road”
Basket women of Chilascó
After weeks of torrential rain and mudslides, I joined a friend to visit artisans in a remote village, detouring around road cave-ins under reconstruction until, after a four-hour drive from Antigua, we reached the turn-off to Chilascó in the central Guatemala department of Baja Verapaz. There stood an old man with a worn backpack, hisContinue reading “Basket women of Chilascó”
Parramos & Pastores, bootmakers
Returning to Guatemala for a visit after living in other countries, I joined a Habitat for Humanity build in the pueblo of Parramos near Antigua. To be accepted by Habitat for a project, applicants had to meet certain requirements. They had to be a family rather than a group of individuals, own the land, andContinue reading “Parramos & Pastores, bootmakers”
Comalapa, Guatemala, town of artists
The most amazing sight in Comalapa is the mural along the cemetery walls. But it is also a town of artists with many painted walls and galleries of local arts depicting village scenes in bright colors. Many of the villages of Guatemala specialize in various arts and are peopled with artisans. I had come with some friendsContinue reading “Comalapa, Guatemala, town of artists”
Travel Photo Challenge & Good Writer Talks
I have been nominated by Beth at ETB Travel Photography and Janet Brenneman on Facebook to post one favorite travel picture a day for ten days without explanation, then to nominate someone else to participate. That’s 10 days, 10 travel pictures, and 10 nominations. I am honored and give my warm thanks to both of these outstandingContinue reading “Travel Photo Challenge & Good Writer Talks”
Carnival in Trinidad
My son and I were invited to join Carnival in Trinidad, reputedly second only to Rio, with a Caribbean flavor. We had connected with a cousin in New York whose partner is from Trinidad and Tobago. “We go every year. Do you want to come?” she replied when I asked about the famous event. IContinue reading “Carnival in Trinidad”
Libraries in my life
I have been a library lover all my life. It’s been a passion of mine. As a child, my local library, a two-story red brick building, was an easy stop on the way home from school or a destination for a walk on a Saturday. I always went by myself and wandered favorite sections, exploring newContinue reading “Libraries in my life”
Peru: Machu Picchu and Inca ruins
Continued from my previous post: Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu. We met at 4:30am to begin the hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (old peak) and climbed the seemingly endless stone stairs to the ruins, arriving just as the first buses pulled up. We hustled on by them up the hill, before the busContinue reading “Peru: Machu Picchu and Inca ruins”
Peru: Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu
Cusco sits high in the Andes mountains of Peru, a charming city of tan adobe structures with red tiled roofs, old Spanish churches, winding cobblestone streets up steep hills. My traveling partner, my son Adam, and I met at the Lima airport in the middle of the night. I was coming from Guatemala where IContinue reading “Peru: Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu”
Ruth Rosenfeld 