Alphabet politics: Change your alphabet, alienate people
Last year, I reported on how the problems resulting from the Azeri language of Azerbaijan being written in Latin script instead of Cyrillic letters. In Azerbaijan, the elderly who haven’t caught on to the...
Lisbon: Sights, Language and Communist Signs
Being in Portugal isn't only about the language. Sights and sounds of Lisbon
Picture essay: Clothing, languages, foods of Morocco
Rather than describe the many beauties of Morocco, I'll show photos.
Brazil: A Failing State
Rio de Janeiro took my breath away at first sight because of its beauty. Now the entire country may be choking because of government mismanagement, corruption and the drought.
5 ways to save on airline tickets
Travel Happy, Budget Low was quoted in this Bankrate article on saving money on airfare.
As airlines tack on more fees, saving money on airline tickets may appear to be a mere wish. But even...
Turkish delights: Food in Istanbul
Instead of just writing about my wonderful four days in Istanbul, I've decided to make a small picture gallery of food and cafes in the city.
I am not waiting 11 years, like last time,...
The taste of an extinct country
Which foods have evoked visceral reactions that link you to your past?
In French writer Marcel Proust’s seminal novel, In Search Of Lost Time, he recounted how eating a madeleine cake as an adult instantly...
(Linguistic) ignorance is bliss, sometimes
Yes, I do enjoy linguistic ignorance from time to time. I met with a Turkish Couchsurfer when I was in Istanbul who generously spent two days showing me the city via the Bosphorous ferry...
Wearing Kyrgyz national dress and kalpak hat
Going Kyrgyz in a Kyrgyz dance costume at a costume ball in Alameda, California.
Wearing the Kyrgyz kaplak hat. The Kalpak is a hat usually made from four panels of white felt with traditional patterns...
The art of the staycation
I’d never heard the word staycation until this year. Journalists send out queries to travel writers asking about how to write tips on staycations.
While waiting for the bus to La Guardia airport in Queens,...
