From skeleton furniture to gigantic spiders… the world is full of scary, creepy things. Since it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d share with you some spooky things we’ve done and creepy places we’ve visited around the world…
High Tech Toilets in Seoul
In response to an invitation to speak at international schools across Asia, I set off on a long trip. My first stop is Seoul, South Korea.
As always, I set my watch for Seoul time right away as my plane departs. If it’s early morning when I arrive, I try to sleep, or at least doze, on the plane. If I get in late at night, I try to stay awake. And taking my No-Jetlag pills helps me to adapt to the time change quickly.
Turkish Delight - a Visit to Istanbul
Formerly known as Byzantium, then as Constantinople, and now as Istanbul, the city lies half in Asia and half in Europe. With its roasted chestnut stalls and coffeeshops, Istanbul sometimes feels like Paris. Its narrow streets with patios and trams feel like Amsterdam. But its forest of minarets, shoarma stands and water pipes give it a distinct Middle Eastern feel. Mosques dominate the skyline and the call to prayer twirls out of many minarets, swirling its haunting tunes over the rooftops. Women wear burkas or tight leather pants, hiking boots or high heels. You can buy roasted corn or a Starbucks. Istanbul is a meeting place of east and west. It is the only city in the world that sits on two continents!
An Elephant Orphanage in Zambia
Gibraltar: the Rocky Toe of Europe
It is an interesting place with a unique history. This rocky toe that Spain hesitantly dips into the Atlantic Ocean, at the point where the ocean turns into the Mediterranean Sea, really ought to belong to Spain. History, however, claimed it for the British. Reminiscent of Hong Kong, this strategic harbour was claimed by the British in 1713 already. The local Spaniards we talked to felt that it was a good thing. “Without the British here, Gibraltar would just be another rock in the ocean,” they told us, “Now it is an attraction, an oddity that brings us jobs and a good economy.”
Journey to Middle Earth.. uh, no - Middle East! - Dubai
The first impression of Dubai is wealth. Glittering glass, chrome, marble but also glittering gold and diamonds. Everything is spotless and perfect. This is a man-made world of artificial trees, super malls, expensive cars and jewels. But I am not a shopper. And I am not interested in hobnobbing with the jet set…
In the Footsteps of Michelangelo: Florence, Italy
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kalakaua, Ke’eaumoku, Punahou, Kapi’olana - I love the rhythm of Hawaiian names… Honolulu on the island of O’ahu is a big American city of 350,000 people. Together with surrounding cities like Waikiki, the county is home to close to a million people. That’s why we will encounter traffic jams and waiting lines when plunging into the sightseeing world of Hawaii. So we plan our day trips here carefully because we’re allergic to crowds and touristy attractions.
Reflections on Cambodia
I wrote a book, My School in the Rain Forest, about unusual schools around the world. My favourite was a floating school in Cambodia. But I had never been there in person. Then I included Cambodia in my book Birthdays Around The World, sharing information about birthday traditions that kind Cambodians helped me to gather. But, until now, I still had not visited Cambodia itself.
The Panama Canal: a cruise from west to east
We knew we didn’t want to spend the entire winter at home and were dreaming of going some place warm and sunny by January. We researched possibilities and came across a trip that really appealed: a 3 week cruise through the Panama Canal. The question is: can we handle being on a cruise ship for three weeks?!
Arabian Nights... and Days!
As a children's book writer I am so fortunate to be invited to do presentations and workshops at international schools. I love to combine my work with travels to exciting places around the globe. Twice now I’ve been invited to conduct readings and workshops at King Abdullah's University of Science and Technology (KAUST) near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In addition to a visa, I also obtained a black abaya in case I needed to wear this in public.
Rotterdammed
As a child, I often visited family in Rotterdam. My parents were born in that city. I grew up a mere 25 km or so away from it. Of course I was familiar with the horrid stories of how Rotterdam had suffered in WWII. It’s heart had been bombed heavily – entire parts of the city had burned and been destroyed. Yet, having lived most of my life away from The Netherlands, I didn’t really know Rotterdam (named for the ‘dam’ in the river Rotte) at all.
Beijing: China of Today
The train ride from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Beijing takes 22 hours. There is no dining car and, coming straight from the Gobi Desert, we didn’t bring much food with us. At 11 PM we stop near the border between Mongolia and China. To our delight, the station has a small store so we stock up on chips, some bread, bananas - hallelujah! - and two cartons of noodles to which we can add hot water. We reuse the cartons to make tea.
From Athena to Zeus: sightseeing in Greece
Even though we are relatively experienced travellers, planning our time in Greece was daunting. In most countries or cities there are a few major attractions that you know you ought to see. But the sights of Greece are overwhelming… In a country with this kind of history, what do you want to see in a few days? And how do you get around without speaking the language or being able to decipher the signs?
Gliding by Glaciers: an Alaska Cruise
Friends are often surprised when we tell them that we enjoy cruises. We never travel in groups and pretty much like exploring on our own. But cruises are versatile. Yes, you can go with friends and be social. But you can also enjoy everything a ship has to offer on your own and take full advantage of seeing many different ports. And often cruises a great way to reach places without having to drive long stretches.
Serengeti: The Circle of Life
Our home for the next few nights is a row of large tents, Kati Kati Camp. Our tent is like a cabin, with a wooden floor, camp beds, and a tiny bathroom. On the ‘porch’ outside is a canvas wash basin. One of the servers, who showed us our tent, says “If you want to come for dinner, just wave your flashlight and we will come get you.” I am surprised. It is a a mere 30 meters or so to the dining tent.
“We can find it by ourselves,” I tell him.
“No, ma’am,” is the answer, “there are lions around. Call us!” I wake at 4 AM to the grumbles of a lion and the call of hyena. At 5:15 we get up and head out to watch the savannah come to live with the first rays of sun. I asked, in camp, if they’ve had any animals nearby. “Yeah, last week a cheetah killed a wildebeest by tent #5,” was the response.
Israel: Shalom and Salam Alaikum!
Venezuela: Culinary Delights, Economic Chaos
Magical Malaysia: from Temples to Fireflies
It’s a long way from Vancouver to Kuala Lumpur, but our flights were worse than normal. First we flew to San Francisco. There we waited for the flight to Hong Kong. It boarded on time but then the pilot announced that strong headwinds made it impossible to cross the Pacific Ocean straight for Hong Kong. Instead, we had to follow land: Canada, Alaska, Siberia and China… But it was all worth it.
