As many of you know, my aunt and I have been trying to do yearly trips together. For the past couple years, we have taken tours with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), first to Ireland and then to Sicily. This year, we are off with them again, this time to Costa Rica. Guided tours are not…
In 1524, fresh off his victory over the Kaqchikel Maya of the Guatemalan highlands, Pedro de Alvarado established his first colonial capital on top of theirs, Iximche. Uprisings by the conquered population forced a move in 1527, and a new capital was built at the base of Volcan de Agua. That city was destroyed by…
For so many, myself included, that first sip of coffee of the day is not only a jolt for the mind, but one for the soul. A good cup of coffee is a luxurious experience, one to be treasured and appreciated. And it is even better when the coffee comes from the source, from a…
It would seem a rather stupid place to build a city. Santiago de los Caballeros, now Antigua Guatemala, sits in a valley surrounded by active volcanoes, routinely subjected to major earthquakes. It isn’t exactly where I’d think that a Spanish regional colonial capital - the only one between Mexico and Panama - would be placed.…
Lots of people have been to the Bahamas. I’m one of them, and like a large percentage of them, I was there as part of a cruise. It was lovely. Others go for the resorts, clean beaches, blue waters. Those are also lovely. Well, I’m looking for a different Bahamian experience. I’ll be in the…
Victoria, British Columbia is a cool city with a lot to do and see. But since it is a place that you’ll likely have a rental car, it is also easy to get out of town for a day to see a bit more of the southern portion of Vancouver Island. The Victoria region is…
In 1867, the United Kingdom passed the British North America Act, whereby Canada became an independent country. Four years later, in 1871, the colony of British Columbia - itself an 1866 merger of two colonies, British Columbia on the mainland and Vancouver Island - was talked into joining the new nation, urged in part by…
Walking past the Gate of Harmonious Interest along Fisgard Street in Victoria, British Columbia, the city’s tiny - but mighty - Chinatown opens before me. Shops, restaurants, lanterns… it might only go a block or so, but the effect is outsized. And indeed, that is the biggest takeaway from a visit here to what is…
Standing on the end of one of the pier’s of Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, British Columbia, I watch as a research vessel of the University of Victoria is cleaned and offloaded from a morning of… whatever it was doing. I stare at the water, and try to make sense of this city, and the Inner…
It’s always nice when my first trip of the year is in early January. It’s even nicer when it is a return trip to one of my favorite destinations from the earlier days of The Royal Tour: Guatemala. Back in 2019, I spent about a week and a half in Guatemala, splitting that time between…