In November and December of 2016, I was fortunate enough to be one of the 340,000 people to visit Arunachal Pradesh, a state in Northeast India, last year. This area requires a special permit to visit. 

One highlight of the trip was a visit to the Hornbill Festival (hornbillfestival.com), an annual festival that began in 2000 and features drumming, music, sports and dance performances by members of the tribes of Nagaland.

The private guide I used was CK Rai (ckrai09@yahoo...

This past June, my husband, Fred, and I rented a car and drove through Bulgaria and the Transylvania region of Romania. As I planned the trip, I discovered the monastic history of both countries and their numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Beginning in Bulgaria 

The almost 500-year influence of the Ottoman Empire coupled with exposure to European culture makes Bulgaria a fascinating travel destination. The countryside has picturesque mountains and valleys, there are...

A song by Johnny Cash, “Forty Shades of Green,” celebrates the beauty and intense colors of Ireland (and the girl he left behind in Tipperary). He wrote it on a trip to Ireland in 1959, and, after our 2-week visit to the island last spring, we can attest that his description is accurate. Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle” for good reason! 

A gentle start

My wife, Martha, and I left San Diego on a British Airways direct flight to London’s...