TravelswithCharie

Essaouira Fishing Port The drive to Essaouira stretched for miles along a well paved highway. I struggled to stay awake after an early morning start. And  I was determined not to miss the tree climbing goats along the highway. Alas I didn’t see a single one and I found out later why. The government had stopped this practice of propping these goats up on trees for photo opportunities. So onward we went until we arrived at the argan oil shop which frankly was a huge relief for me. Watching the women demonstrate how argan oil is extracted from seeds was fascinating and I got to taste it with delicious local bread. Fresh catch at the port When we arrived at Essaouira Beach, I met my guide who took me around the peaceful harbor and medina. We walked for an hour as the guide narrated the history of Essaouira. We started at the harbor and checked out the famous blue boats that deliver seafood in the morning. We got there in time to see the catch of the day. The white boats are for comm...

Walking inside the cavernous halls of Riga Central Market, you wouldn’t know that there are only 619,000 residents in the capital city. Yet this market is so huge it could probably provide the needs of 1.87 million* people living in Latvia today. The Central Market of Riga is actually the largest market and bazaar in Europe with over 3000 stalls. Frankly, I got tired going from one hall to the next. And when I was done indoors, there was a bazaar outdoors to explore.  * Source: World Bank Fish section The Riga Central Market is included with Old Riga on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Dried fish Smoked fish The cheese and pastries section are in the same hall. It’s hard to decide what to get from the amazing selection. Meat Section Notice the architecture of this pavilion. Old German Zeppelin hangars were recycled to form the five pavilions of the Central Market. There is a clothing and bedding section both indoors and outdoors. I bought my souvenirs here at the Central Market...

Spice Market, Istanbul I just noticed that I haven’t posted anything since January 9th of this year. It’s a little hard to write something when you’re traveling because you’re distracted by the 101 things you need to do while you’re living abroad temporarily and the vastly different social life you’re suddenly exposed to. The other reason for my lack of posts is that I find it difficult to write about my travels because the “words” are not flowing. I did write about some of my activities related to my school supplies program. You’ll find this here:  balaynicharie.blogspot.com .  Bucovina, Northern Romania I do have quite a few travel articles in the burner. These are about my visits to Bucovina with its unique painted churches, my trips to Brazil and the beautiful coastline of Uruguay as well as my experiences in the incredible country of Turkey, the breathtaking landscapes of northern Taiwan and the Water Village of Brunei. I’m so grateful to have been able to do some trav...

Iceland After decades of solo travels around the world, these are the countries where I felt the safest. I’ve visited these places on the list several times except for Finland (which I had the pleasure of visiting once) and didn’t encounter any threatening incidences in any of them. I found instead the people were positively responsive when I approached them for directions or help with the language barrier. I especially remember my experiences in Ireland where I needed to find a plug adapter and a saleslady took time from her work to show me the store that carried it, in Japan where the non-English speaking train ticket agent painstakingly helped me with a smile despite the long line behind me or the restaurant chef who showed me how to order my meal using a strange machine, or in Finland where I met friendly people in church and whose friendship I’ve kept to this day as I have with my friends in the Netherlands and Romania. There are so many beautiful stories from my solo trips which...

San Francisco, California  Condé Nast Traveler   https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-places-to-go-in-2023 Fodors Go List 2023 https://www.fodors.com/go-list/2023 Fodors No List 2023 https://www.fodors.com/news/news/fodors-no-list-2023 Frommer's Best Places to go in 2023 https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/848547-frommer-s-best-places-to-go-in-2023 Lonely Planet Where to go in 2023 https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/where-to-go-when New York Times 52 Places to go in 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/travel/52-places-travel-2023.html Travel and Leisure Best Places to go in 2023 https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-go-2023 ***** Image by TravelswithCharie  

Bernadith Barrientos in Geiranger, Norway Where and when was your first trip outside of your home country?  Taipei was my first destination outside the Philippines. It was in 2018, a year full of blessings for me. I can say it was the best year I’ve had. I got the chance to travel with friends in Taipei. I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to see, explore and enjoy some of the tourist attractions in Taipei like Shifen waterfalls, Taipei National Palace Museum, Taipei 101 and their famous Sky Lantern.  What is it about traveling that appeals to you the most? Beautiful scenery, immersing myself in a country’s culture, experiencing new things and gaining new friends while traveling appeals to me the most. Whenever I am in a new place, I take it as an opportunity to explore an entirely different side of myself. Blending with locals is one of the most satisfying feelings.  How has working in the cruise industry helped you achieve your travel goals? Working in the cruise i...

Semi circular chest plate, gold, 700 A.D., South Pacific The Pre-Colombian Gold Museum is one of three museums created in the 1950s by the Central Bank of Costa Rica from the original History and Numismatic Museum to promote “meaningful and relevant connections with the material and human dimensions” of Costa Rican cultural heritage. The museum is in an underground vault in the center of San Jose. How gold jewelry was worn by the indigenous people of Costa Rica Various chest plates and pendants 1. Semi circular convex chest plate 2. Round zoomorphic and geometrical chest plate from 700 - 1500A.D., hammered     gold with  four cones protruding from the plate, worn by high ranking  individuals,        South Pacific 3. Pendants  4. Plain round chest plate Collar and buckle with embossed decoration Crab rattle, 700 A.D. to 1559 A.D., South Pacific Anthropo-zoomorphic pendant The use of animal or avimorphic pendants has a symbolic meaning to the w...