OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE I HAVE VISITED

My Dad traveled around the world in the 1950s so I suppose that is where I get my traveling feet. I, myself, have really only been traveling abroad since 1983 when I finished my junior year at Bethel College in Kansas. That summer I went to Central America with the college's international development class and then spent a year in Europe as a participant in the Intermenno Trainee program wherby I lived and worked in Germany and France. Here are the regions and a little bit about the regions which I have visited since 1983.

  • MIDDLE EAST

    When I went to the Middle East for the first time as a teacher in 1999, I traveled a lot in the UAE. From there I took a quick trip to Iran'sKish Island. In January 2000 I finally made it to my dream land of the Pharoah's, Egypt. Traveling in the Middle east has been stressful at times but the people are hospitable and the culture's fascinating. Later, in March of that year I made abus ride over to Oman and visited some Christian friends of mine. Finally, I took a short vacation to and Arab and French speaking country: Tunisia. Later, from Cyprus, I took a cruise ship over to Syria. In January 2006 I went to my dream place PETRA in JORDAN.

  • CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

    Most recently, I traveled to the formerly war-taorn country of GUATEMALA. In the 1980s I was involved with the sanctuary movement helping refugees from war torn Central America. Besides my concerns for social justice in the world--especially in a region so close to my homeland--my interest in Latin America had been awakened nearly a decade earlier when I had been taught about Latin America in a very good social studies program by a Brazilian instructor of mine in 6th grade in Wentzville Elementary School in Missouri. Further, my favorite baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates had at that time several good Latin baseball stars including the hall of famer Roberto Clemente who died in a plane crash en route to helping survivors of a terrible earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua in 1972. Countries I've traveled to or through in Latin America are highlighted often by the LONELY PLANET at these sites: NICARAGUA..... COSTA RICA..... BELIZE..... MEXICO ..... EL SALVADOR ..... ECUADOR..... COLOMBIA..... HONDURAS..... PANAMA..... VENEZUELA..... I just returned from my last trip to S. America, namely PERU. Check out this great web site from the University of Texas, which has similar links to other nations.

  • EUROPE AND NORTHERN AFRICA

    Two different times I have lived, worked and even studied for lengthy periods of time in Europe--primarily in Germany but also for 6 months in France. These episodes in my life offered many travel opportunities for myself. I recall well still my first bicycle ride in Switzerland coming down a curvy "mountain road" at nearly 95 kilometers an hour. I was 21 years old and I guess I didn't know any better--or at least had less fear of death at times. Yes, some guardian angel has taken care of me during very dangerous episodes during my journeys as far south as Greece and Morocco, as far west as Portugal and Ireland, as far north as Norway, and as far east as Moscow's Red Square. I climbed over the Wall at the famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on New Years Eve 1989 and have witnessed many changes in that city and Eastern Europe since. Countries I have visited are highlighted by the LONELY PLANET as follows: IRELAND..... BRITAIN..... ICELAND..... CZECH REPUBLIC..... BOSNIA HERCEGOVINA..... CROATIA..... CYPRUS..... FRANCE..... DENMARK..... GERMANY..... GREECE..... HUNGARY..... ITALY..... MALTA..... MONTENENGRO..... THE NETHERLANDS..... NORWAY..... FINLAND.. POLAND..... PORTUGAL..... FINLAND . . . . . RUSSIA..... SPAIN..... GIBRALTER . . . SWEDEN..... SWITZERLAND..... AUSTRIA..... BELGIUM..... MORROCCO..... In late 1998 I made my first trip to TURKEY, the only European nation in the Middle East. Cappadocia there is mind boggling to visit and take pictures at.

  • ASIA

    While working in three public Japanese high schools in the heaviest rice growing regions of Niigata Prefecture--also one of the world's most densely populated "snowiest" places on earth--I took my first vacations on the Asian continent in the early 1990s. For my friends at the Japanese Burmese Relief Center I three times took clothing to Thailand for distribution via Buddhist monks for refugees from Burma and that nation's great ethnocidal war. I did the "touristy" things, too, of course and plan to return to the region and begin exploring Asia as time permits in the decades ahead. I did make it to several countries twice over the years and even survived a horrendous night which started with a misguided drinking episode with a French mercenary. My favorite trip so far was up river from Hong Kong two days journey by jet foil, bus, and bicycle to a rice growing region south of Guilin. I had wanted to go to this region ever since I taught a section on China to my 9th grade students at J.C. Harmon High School in KC, Kansas in 1985 as part of their World Studies course. If you'd like to get to know a bit more about where I've been in Asia check out these LONELY PLANET sites. INDIA was the country I visited most recently. I recommentd it totally. Other places I've been in in are: THAILAND..... SINGAPORE..... PHILLIPINES..... MALAYSIA..... MACAU..... HONG KONG..... CHINA..... SOUTH KOREA..... In January-February 2006 I made my first--and hopefully not last--visit to SRI LANKA. I recommend going back--again and again. JAPAN..... A link for Taiwan is this web site: TAIWAN.....

  • NORTH AMERICA

    North America is an interesting place. It has the two largest (in size) English speaking countries in the world: Canada and the USA. It also has the largest Spanish speaking nation in the world: Mexico. In the USA I've traveled from my birthplace in Sycamore, Illinois to as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii. The vastness of the USA astounds every time I fly or drive over/through its great western deserts. I most recently treked to Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelle, and the Grand Canyon. I interviewed to teach recently out in Utah at the edge of Navajo territory. I was up in Canada for the first time in 1986--twice: I went up to the World exposition in Vancouver and later visited Alberta for a friend's wedding. Finally in 1995 I made it to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls--Splendid!!!!! Down south in Mexico we find the most diverse nation in the hemisphere--which is definately equivilent to Europe in its cultural diversity. Pleased check out these places I've studied in, traveled in, worked in, or visited in these three amazing nations:
    In the USA: MY BIRTHPLACE........... STATE WHERE I FIRST WENT TO SCHOOL........... STATE WHERE I FIRST WENT TO JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.......... STATE WHERE I FIRST PLAYED FOOTBALL AND FIRST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL.......... ..... MY UNDERGRADUATE ALMA MATER..... A PLACE I LOVE TO LOBBY IN FOR PEACE AND EDUCATION.......... WHERE I COMPLETED MY MASTERS'.......... When I went job hunting in 1986 here were some interesting cities and places I visited before giving up and moving to Germany: SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO..... PETRIFIED FOREST..... SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK..... SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA..... SEATTLE, WASHINGTON..... YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK..... MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK..... HOUSTON..... I was accepted to do a doctorate at three universities in the areas of international and comparative education in 1995 so I went out to visit these schools and their states before deciding to earn a little money and pay back both my graduate and undergraduate debts instead. Here are good sites on these universities and their locations: ..... THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY..at... COLUMBUS, OHIO..............., UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH..at .. PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA............ STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT, BUFFALO, NEW YORK. After returning from work in Nicaragua and Japan I began again to search for permanent work in the USA and spent 1997 teaching in both Texas and California while looking for more stable contracts. In my journeys I have been able to visit: SAN DIEGO's SEA WORLD(where I got soaked by Shamu, the whale), LAS VEGAS..... TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST..... PALO DURO CANYON, LUBBOCK and SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS...... MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH,..... CANYON DE CHELLY and GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK in ARIZONA...... In August of 1997 while still inlimbo as to where I would be teaching in September I decided I deserved one small vacation so I flew to San Jose, Californi where I caught Spyro Gyra at the SAN JOSE FREE JAZZ FESTIVAL before heading up to Marin County to a cool youth hostel just left of the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE which I bicycled across four times after checking out the Redwoods of Marin County. Early in 1999 I attended the TESOL Convention in NEW YORK CITY,. I had seen NYC as a two year old kid, but this time I was old enough to take in the Broadway shows and take a hike through Soho, Little Italy, and Chinatown. That same summer in search of more work I stopped in Atlanta, GEORGIA, Montgomery, ALABAMA, and Natchez , MISSISSIPPI on my first visit to the Old South east of the Missippi River--traveling mostly the civil Rights trails and occasionally stopping at Indian Mounds, national parks, and museums.

  • CANADA

    In CANADA: The first visit I made to Canada was part of my job hunting road trip in 1986 out west. I aarived in Seattle about the timeof the VANCOUVER World Exposition. I took my "drive away car" and snuck across the border before veering down to Texas that June. Later in July that same year I went up to Manitoba by car to see my friend Dan's Wedding: MANITOBA. We carried the presnt's back across the border and got stopped for smuggling. I didn't really visit Canada again until 1995 when I was up in Buffalo and stayed over night at the the CANADIAN FALLS. this time they let me back across the border --no problem. The Canadian Falls are much prettier --I think-- but don't tell the Canucks!!!

  • MEXICO

    Mexico was my first foreign destination. My family took the modest border crossing to Tijuana around Christmas 1977--a full six years before I really began my years of WANDERLUST. I recall bargaining to buy an onyx chess set-- and doing really well,too. I'm still a pretty good bargainer today. My last visit to Tijuana was on January 1, 1994--the day the revolt in Chiapas began. Was there any relationship? Did I cause the revolt? No, of course not! The forces of social and economic history and misgovernment are the cause. Catch two views of Tijuana here: OFFICIAL VERSION... TJ's VERSION. Over the years I have actually studied in three cities in Mexico which I would recommend you see: CUERNAVACA , SALTILLO , GUADALAJARA . I've traveled quite a bit in Mexico due to these study opportunities and believe that Mexico is one of the most diversified nations in the world. There are so many dozens of Indian languages along with the multitude of dialects from North to South, from Ocean to Ocean, from Mountain to Desert, from Rain Forest to Cloud Forest--and don't forget to notice the pyramids and the poverty or even the pollution and wonderful places you should take a siesta in along the way! I've checked out these places personally and on the INTERNET: ACAPULCO. . . MEXICO CITY--Rough Guide. . . GUANAJUATO--Rough Guide. . . MORELIA--Rough Guide. . . Outside of Mexico are the Great Pyramids of Teotihuacan which I have visited on two occasions.Archeology of Teotihuacan. In the Zona Rosa one night in Mexico city I once even came across a native who claimed that the Doors had once put on a fantastic concert out at the pyramids. (That would have been awesome and mystical, eh?) Another Archeological site south of Cuernevac which I would recommend is XOCHICALCO where they have a ball court--you know the kind, the one where the winners got sacrificed to the Gods.

  • THE CARRIBBEAN

    I took one of those two day excursions to the Bahamas and went snorkling in a most beautiful area. I could have watched the colored fish and underwater plant and animal life all day. Super Cool!!!!!!!! I also stopped in NASSAU. The town is worth a couple of visits. It's surprising British and unAmerican in charm. More recently, I headed to both ARUBA and PUERTO RICO for the first time. I'll definately go back to both. 1
    Hosted by www.Geocities.ws