Current location: Montego Bay, Jamaica A big welcome to the 24 new subscribers who signed up this past week! |
Hello,
Just like that, I ended up in Jamaica... In a last minute decision, my friend and I ended up booking a short 5-day getaway to Montego Bay. The flight prices were inexpensive, the hotel very affordable and it offered a chance to do some light traveling now that things are opening up. With that said, between Covid-19 tests, travel authorization forms, online immigration forms, chaos checking in for flights at the airport (due to all the new rules), chaos upon arrival (due to all the new rules)...I wouldn't exactly say traveling is smooth at the moment. But we arrived. And now, here we are, staring out at the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea and trying to spend some tourism dollars in one destination, out of many, that was certainly hard hit by the pandemic. The last time I was in Jamaica I was working as a Tour Manager on board the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship. It was a long time ago. But as soon as I arrived again yesterday, I instantly remembered what I enjoyed most about this country. The first person we encountered at the airport, a man who was checking our immigration forms, was so easy-going, friendly and good-natured that there was nothing else I could do but smile widely. That's Jamaica - a country where people genuinely interact with others, including complete strangers, as if they've been best friends for life. Once you experience it, you get hooked on the positive vibe this creates. I love it and I'm looking forward to this stay, even though it's a short one. All Around Florida Before this Jamaica getaway, the previous week involved a lot of wandering around Florida. For various reasons, we ended up in such towns and cities as Lake Wales, Sebring, Okeechobee, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Wynwood, Juno Beach, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood Beach. If you want to experience the vast diversity of this state, follow the route above. It's sometimes difficult to believe just how different each of those places are in terms of geography, culture, politics, economy and more considering their relative proximity to each other. It's time to use your travel knowledge and research skills! Last week
I guess this was an easier one to guess as the correct guesses came in quickly!
Congratulations to Andreea, Tristan, Mandy, Austin, Taylor, Francis and Robin, Eliza and Eliza (yes, two Elizas!) who all correctly guessed the beautiful town of ANNECY, FRANCE! It was about 7 years ago when I went to Annecy and I had a great time. There's plenty to see and do here with its atmospheric town, beautiful surrounding scenery and impressive mountains nearby. I remember taking the below photo well - it was minutes after devouring a huge, wonderful pastry from a small bakery. And it was minutes before taking a long, idyllic stroll along the shores of Annecy Lake. This week's photo The Rules
1. Try to figure out where the below photo was taken. 2. Reply to this email with your guess.
3. The more specific the guess, the better!
4. The location will be revealed in next week's newsletter.
So, here we go :) Where in the world is this? Travel-related (usually) tidbits that appeared in my inboxesGood SomervilleI had a chance to get the new t-shirts from Good Somerville, a company dedicated to creating "reliable, comfortable, sustainable, functional and honest" active wear. They are really high-quality and versatile shirts, super lightweight and made from 100% recycled polyester. I took two to Jamaica with me and I'm actually wearing one right now! Vaccinations by DraculaSwapping fangs for needles, Romanians can now get the Covid-19 vaccination at Bran Castle, a castle that is (very loosely) associated with the Dracula story. It also naturally comes with free entry into an exhibition of medieval torture instruments. France and Belgium's Funny Border IncidentA Belgian farmer moved a rock on his land to make more room for his tractor. In doing so, he changed the border between Belgium and France. France became smaller and Belgium became larger and a light-hearted border dispute was born. |
Human History in Africa
These five ancient sites around Africa help us track human evolution, giving us glimpses into the civilizations that inhabited modern-day Egypt, Tanzania, Namibia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
Scottish Landscapes
Dylan Nardini, a freight train driver in Scotland, won a Landscape Photographer of the Year award with several stunning images of the Scottish countryside. Images from the other winners and finalists can be found here.
12-Mile Tour of Paris
This excellent video walking tour of Paris covers every highlight and more, complete with the history of each place visited.
Belgian Beer Spa
Soon you'll be able to soak in hops and barley, while drinking from the tap, inside of Belgium's first beer spa.
Longest Pedestrian Bridge
Near the small town of Arouca, Portugal, the world's longest pedestrian bridge has opened, spanning the River Paiva for 516 meters (1700 feet).
Morocco in Photos
Sebastian Holmer shares his impressive photos of Morocco, making me even more excited to get back to that country later this year! (There's two spots left on my excellent Wandering Earl Tour to Morocco in September - just reply if you're interested and I'll forward the details.) The Washing Machine Project
This great project brings low-cost, manual washing machines to low-income regions of the world that typically wash their clothes by hand. This helps reduce the amount of time and energy needed to wash clothes, opening up more opportunities in these areas, especially for women. They have been distributing these machines (called the Divya in honor of the person who inspired their creation) to a variety of countries and refugee camps. Thanks for reading!
Regards,
Derek (my middle name is Earl) *If you received this email from someone else and want to sign up to A Life of Travel, simply click the button below: |
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