Chile & Argentina

During our recent trip to Patagonia, we visited both Chile and Argentina.  We liked the flora, fauna and folks in both countries, but wondered why they have had so much trouble getting along throughout their history. Looking closely at a map–you notice that there is a section of their joint border in the southern Patagonian… Read more »

Why Patagonia?

Fred and Sharon spent November of this year in Patagonia–that windswept expanse of flat lands and high mountains of southern Argentina and Chile. Why, our friends asked, did you go to a place not known for rugs or textiles and where, uncharacteristically, you can drink the water out of the tap? Yes, Argentina is less… Read more »

By Rail in Mongolia

Fred loves train travel.  You meet an interesting cross-section of a population and get to peer into a country’s backyards as the train passes.  Wherever we go, we take train trips, and Mongolia was no exception. The vast country has relatively few kilometers of rail–all built for them by the Soviet Union.  Besides a few… Read more »

The Far Corner of Mongolia

People who have been visiting our shop since our trip to Mongolia this June have been happily shopping for our unusual felt slippers, as well as colorful purses and bags decorated with elaborate hand-embroidery.  Where are they from?  They are all made by Kazakh-ethnic women who live in the mountainous far-western corner of Mongolia. Fred and… Read more »

“Gers” and “Yurts” in Mongolia

Mongolia is a wonderful country whose vast landscapes are scattered with round portable nomad tents.  The majority of the Mongolian population call theirs “gers”, but the minority Kazakh people in far western Mongolia call theirs “yurts”.  Kazakh yurts, however, should not be mistaken for Mongolian gers.  There are a number of differences. The two nomadic… Read more »

Driving in Mongolia

  Mongolia is a vast country–13th largest in the world–with a small population–3 million.  Of interest to the driver, is that it has fewer kilometers of road per person than any country in the world, and some of the worst urban traffic. Until the 1990’s virtually all vehicles, and there weren’t many, were of Russian… Read more »

Why Travel to Mongolia?

Fred and Sharon, former diplomats, have never lived in Mongolia.  As a long-time repressive client state of the former Soviet Union, the U.S. didn’t even formally recognize the country until the late 1980’s.  As a result, there was no U.S. Embassy in Ulaan Baatar (Red Hero) at which they could serve until too late in… Read more »

Novia Scotia and the Cabot Trail

Mid-May was a great time to visit Novia Scotia.  We were there one week before a 24-hour relay race with 70 teams of 17 runners each…and the commencement of the tourist season. We were also a couple of weeks before the onslaught of black flies, which takes place in June before the heat of the… Read more »

Quebec and Canada’s Maritime Provinces

We traveled recently to Quebec City to visit friends who teach there at the University of Laval.  We also planned a road-trip with them to parts of Atlantic Canada, the ocean-bound northeastern corner of North America, which is comprised of four provinces with their own personalities. Our trip explored two of those provinces–New Brunswick and… Read more »