This could be Miami. The thought hits me for at least the hundredth time since I arrived here in Panama City, Panama. Blue waters, green parks, and tall glass buildings blend together in, if not harmony, at least a reasonably peaceful understanding. It stands in sharp contrast to most other major Central American cities I've…
This morning, in a private no-frills ceremony at the Consulate General of Germany in Los Angeles, I got to do something that most Jews have only dreamt of. I got to - in my own small way - give the middle finger to the ghost of Adolf Hitler on behalf of myself and my family.…
It is nearly 10:00 AM, and the excitement is building. I wait among dozens of other eager museum-goers, glancing down at our watches and up at the doors, still closed. We know what is on the other side of these simple wooden barriers, standing in stark contrast to the magnificence of the building that puts…
Nationalism movements are all the rage these days. Kurdish in Syria and Iraq grabs headlines, while Catalan demonstrations in Spain have eclipsed the formerly grandiose Basque independence movements. Here in the United Kingdom, Scotland only barely remained after a referendum failed, and talk of another is looming in the face of Brexit. Wales, however, is…
On June 23, 2016, a very small majority of British voters decided to change the course of the UK and of Europe. In a popular referendum initiated by then Prime Minister David Cameron, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union behind. This British exit of the EU, or Brexit, has been at the…
Let's face it, the world is a complicated place and, despite our purest of intentions, sometimes as travelers we can be drawn into complex local political debates. Other times, we (meaning I, since I like writing about such things) seem to search them out. But how can political activism impact us as visitors, both from…
In April of 2018, widespread protests broke out in Nicaragua against the government and Daniel Ortega, the country's dictator. The government responded with massive violent crackdowns, with estimates of those killed ranging from 30 to well over 100, including the well-publicized shooting up of a church in which some protestors had taken refuge. The United…
Nicaragua isn't for everyone. In my last article, I talked about the reasons people should visit. Today, let's examine this controversial country from the opposite end of the spectrum. So here are eight reasons you might want to think twice before visiting Nicaragua. 1. Ortega is still the dictator Daniel Ortega has been the dictator…
For so many Americans, Guatemala isn't a place per se. Rather, it is synonymous with drugs, violence, and illegal immigration, since that is what we see in the news. As a first-time visitor to the northernmost of the "northern triangle" countries - or as Fox News put it, three Mexican countries - I was curious…
It is hot. Very hot, sitting at an even 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The air is steamy, the humidity approaching 85% and seeping through me. I stand in the shade of a tree, drinking water and sweating it out just as fast, staring at Temple 1, a large pyramid at one side of Tikal's grand plaza.…