North America
Faces From Afar: Through Wild Desert and Urban Shantytowns, Two Men Walk the Baja Peninsula
Armed with food, water and a surfboard, two young Americans leave the comfort of home to walk and paddle the length of the Baja California peninsula
March 26, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Coffee Here, and Coffee There: How Different People Serve the World’s Favorite Hot Drink
Coffee is black and bitter—but global travelers find a surprisingly wide range of forms of the world's favorite hot beverage
March 15, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
What Makes the Trout in Ecuador Look Like Salmon?
Aiming to catch a few trout for dinner, the author decides to try his luck at one of the region's many "sport fishing" sites
February 12, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Faces From Afar: Two Canadian Travelers Bring Love, Goodwill and Water Filters to the Needy
Give a man a glass of water, and you may quench his thirst. But teach him to build a water filter, as Rod and Ingrid McCarroll are doing, and he'll have clean water for life
February 01, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Best Places to See and Celebrate the Winter Solstice
Many temples and monuments were intentionally built to face, frame or otherwise "welcome" the rising winter solstice sun
December 20, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Where to Watch the Biggest Waves Break
From Waimea Bay to "Mavericks," here are some superb sites to watch surfers catch the biggest breakers in the world this winter
December 06, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Exotic Dishes to Spice Up Your Thanksgiving Feast
Add some global flair to your banquet with these savory variations on your favorite "Turkey Day" fare
November 20, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Faces From Afar: Two Oregonians on the Hunt for Exotic Durians
Meet Lindsay Gasik and Rob Culclasure, who are spending a year of their lives in Southeast Asia feasting on the bizarre fruit
November 02, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
More Wines from Unexpected Places
Good, locally made wines can now be found in such unlikely locales as equatorial Kenya, the Texas Hill Country, and temperate and rainy Japan
October 17, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Snakes: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly
With venom so potent it can kill a person in just 30 minutes, the black mamba is a snake to avoid—while others are worth learning about before you cast your judgment
October 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Health Hazards of the Traveler
Russian scientist Leonid Rogozov was the only doctor within 1,000 miles when, in 1961, he was struck by appendicitis in Antarctica. Fortunately, he had Novocain and a scalpel
September 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Will Hound Hunting in California Be Banned?
Hunters say that the practice brings to life a natural drama between black bears and canine predators. But to many others, the practice is little more than wildlife harassment
September 13, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Wolves Are Returning to Oregon–but Not All Locals Want Them
In 1947, the last wolf in Oregon was killed for a bounty fee of $5 just outside of Crater Lake National Park. Now, after more than 50 years of absence, the animals are staging a comeback
August 31, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Best Vegetarian Foods of the World
Traveling and eating abroad, many diners discover that the world is a vegetarian's oyster
August 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Is the Livestock Industry Destroying the Planet?
For the earth's sake, maybe it's time we take a good, hard look at our dietary habits
August 01, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
More Great Books and Where Best to Read Them
A continuation of last week's list of the author's favorite reads
July 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them
Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here's a list of some of my favorite books and where to read them
July 21, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Nastiest Critters Lurking Outside Your Tent
The bite of a Goliath bird-eater is hardly worse than a bee sting to a human---but this beast is among the nastiest things that could skitter across your face in the dark night of the Amazon. Zip up your tent
May 08, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Rock, Pedal and Roll: Band Tours the World by Bicycle
"I believe the bicycle is one of the best, if not the coolest, machines ever invented," says the frontman of the Ginger Ninjas, a folk-funk band with a pedal-powered sound system
May 01, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
World Wildlife Hunt
It takes $6,000 to shoot a leopard in Botswana. And if you cough up $1,200, you can shoot a crocodile. Short on cash? There's always baboons, which go for $200 a pop
April 24, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
