A few tips I sent to Phil about freshening up while traveling. He featured them in Sick on the Road!
Featured photo: El Teide
Tenerife, Spain As you may know, I love volcanoes and warm weather nearly as much as I love camels. So when Linda of Islandmomma offered to be my guide around Tenerife, I jumped at the chance! It was a fine chance to test out the camera I'd won from the Cork Cycling Festival's photo competition. …
Mentioned on Frommers.com! :D
Cork, Ireland Yay! TourAbsurd got mentioned on Frommers.com! :D How to Start a Travel Blog: 4 Easy Tips Read more: http://www.frommers.com/articles/7476.html In celebration, I am sharing a picture of a gorgeous mama and baby camel discovered on Cute Overload. Have I mentioned that I love camels? Oh, yes, I believe I have. …
Missing Mermaid
Copenhagen, Denmark While in Denmark one lovely May, we decided to pay a visit to the iconic mermaid sculpture. It was based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, The Little Mermaid, and has become quite a tourist attraction for those who visit Copenhagen. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. And yet, when we arrived …
The Kindness of Strangers
Today's post is from Liv of The World is Waiting, as she waxes Blanche DuBois-ish and shares with us one of my favorite things about travel. (ps: captions by moi) Watching the news these days it is all too easy to sit at home convinced that the world is full of bad people …
Quick update: what’s next?
Hello from Ireland! Just a quick update to let you know what's happening next! I'll soon be heading to Tenerife to visit Linda of Islandmomma. With the Irish winter fast approaching, I suspect I will not want to leave. Or at least that I'll want to go back very soon. Thankfully, living in Cork and …
The awesome power of Haka.
Another travel blogger linked this video on Facebook today. It's awesome and fantastic. Seriously. Gets the blood moving and makes you wish you were Māori. Can't see it? Watch it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/JuhcZX9rFRM I remembered how much I loved watching haka and listening to Lisa Gerrard's gorgeous soundtrack from the movie Whale Rider. …
Zanzibar: House of Mercury
Unguja, Tanzania Zanzibar is blessed with amazing scenery, filled with spice and warmth, and springs from often tragic history. It's also the birthplace of the incredibly talented lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury. Learning a bit more about the background of this tremendous singer, and possibly visiting locations of significance in his life, was on …
Capture the Calf!
Kealkill, Ireland With such an alliterative name, you just know that wacky things are bound to take place. Seriously, try it on for size: "Kealkill. …Kealkill. KEALKILL!" (not to be confused will Killkeel in Co. Down!). Ok, got it? Now add "castle" to the mix. That's right. "Kealkill castle." And guess what there are lots …
Questionable ethics: stealth photos!
The Free Dictionary defines ethics in the following manner: eth·ic (thk) n. 1. a. A set of principles of right conduct. 1. b. A theory or a system of moral values: “An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain” (Gregg Easterbrook). 2. ethics (used with a sing. verb) The study of …
Where Do I Find Me a Drunk Maya God?
Today's post comes to us from Marina K. Villatoro of Travel Experta. Guatemala has just risen greatly in my estimation. Drunken Mayan gods? Mystical shamans? Volcanoes and lakes? Sign me up! :D Ahhhh! Lake Atitlan Guatemala, considered one of the top ten most beautiful lakes in the world, is also home to the …
Consumed! (or What I Did On My Summer Vacation)
Cork, Ireland A bit of an update from TourAbsurd-land… The Cork Cycling Festival has been taking place this week. Since one of Dario's consuming passions is his upcoming website about community-powered bike sharing, we have both been a bit overwhelmed. Dario with programming and hiring graphic designers, module coders, and server security gurus; me …
Sounds of Morocco: the Adnan
Middle Atlas, Morocco One of the first things that many non-Muslims who visit Muslim countries notice are the frequent calls to prayer, known as the Adnan in Morocco (often called the adhan, as well). On our first trip to Africa (Tanzania), Dario and I were met at the hotel by a friend who'd arrived the …
The Cork Butter Museum (yes, seriously)
A visit to the holy of holies, the Cork Butter Museum. A tongue twister, too!
A little crabby in Pemba
Pemba, Tanzania After our fabulous experience snorkeling over a coral reef on Kwale Island off Unguja, we thought continuing on Pemba was a logical extension of the adventure. Dario is lookin' mighty Italian here. You can hardly tell he's seasick! On the boat with me was Dario, our traveling companion Sean, two fellows …
Copy & Paste
Cork, Ireland – 3:45 a.m. I love CouchSurfing. It has changed my life in so many incredible ways I can't begin to count. One of the best parts of it is that, despite — and I say this vehemently — not being a dating site, I met my luscious hubby through CS. No, it was …
Motivational, celebrational!
I've already posted this in a few spots, but I just cannot get enough of this kid. He's so happy about learning to ride a bike that he is encouraging everyone else to pursue their dreams. How awesome is that? Watch it on Break.com: http://bit.ly/kbxrv2 Cheers and happy dream achieving!
We just want to go to Hassi Labied!
Rissani, Morocco One of the truisms of travel is that experiences that frustrate, irritate, or scare the buhjayzus out of you when they happen turn into the best stories later. This was one of those times. Grab a cup of sweetened mint tea, sit back, and have a read. Rachid and I took …