TulsaTrot

You’re Windy Saint-Nezaire Bridge “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” Aldous Huxley Biked Belgium for a week in 2017. Last summer we traversed Rails to Trails in South Dakota, USA. To take the bike riding a little further, Suva and I came up with a general plan to bike from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea . . . in stages. With the proper planning, it would…

Ski Jasna A Just Little Slo Leading up to spring break 2025, I could never remember if skiing was in Slovakia or Slovenia. I’m a little “Slo” that way with former Communist Eastern European geography. Plus my mental aptitude for this trip had us traveling west. With an actual map, Slovakia, the next stop, was actually east of Czechia. In retrospect seems pretty logical, but Czechoslovakia was…

Could This Be The World’s Best Beach? The title probably has you wondering, “What the heck is John talking about?” Just wait until the end and some knowledge will be dropped. Nadine and I have traveled north from Georgetown, Malaysia to Krabi, Thailand. Malaysia was great, but after three weeks of easy travel, we were ready for Thailand and a bit of a change. A mini-van that took us to the border…

Only One Sketchy Yellow Fever Shot Needed Unfamiliar With a Long History My understanding of Western Africa before November 2024 was limited. The family and I had spent two days in Morocco in 2019, only months before Covid disrupted the world. Plus, Morocco is an Arabic country Northern Africa, not sub Saharan Africa. Yet Gorée Island, the last piece of land of African land that slaves saw…

Only One Sketchy Yellow Fever Shot Needed This year’s rendition of the three day middle school Cup of Nations basketball, soccer and volleyball tournament was scheduled for the International School of Dakar. Last year it was the Pharaoh’s Cup, this year the Teranga Cup (and yes there has been many spelling renditions of this word). But in order to visit, participants needed a yellow fever…

So many times life reminds me that this is a small and interconnected world. The Mariam grocery store is conveniently located on the walk from home to school. It is not unusual to stop for a Thursday afternoon treat. Arrange for water to be delivered to the house. Grab a quick snack for after school activities. Amer is either the owner or main person in charge of this store. Often we share small…

Such a Small Ceibal Computer One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller General impressions of an amazing country You don’t see many canines stuck together. Dogs and cats live peacefully. No visible ill will between canines and felines. I was never chased by a dog. You are not officially considered Uruguayan if you don’t have a thermos tucked under your…

“Wash your hands.” “Hey, wash both your hands with soap!” The nagging didn’t stop there. “Were you aware that you need to clean them throughly!” “As you stand there peeing and reading this sign, make sure you wash your hands!” Not sure if this integral piece of advice was passed down by the four Presidents from Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse before battle, but this important message was plastered…

Colorful Southern Belgium This time families replaced college friends. Cars substituted bicycles. A van displaced a trailer. It easily carried all of the water, unlike a trailer back in 2017. But we were back in Belgium. Yet this time it was family travel in Belgium The beauty and allure of Wallouie and the Ardennes hasn’t changed. Neither its’ ability to brew dangerously delicious beers. The…

Looking Out Towards the Aegean Sea For spring break, our family fell into a ski trip to Greece. Before that, here are a few Greek facts. Historical Marvels Greece is steeped in history, considered the birthplace of Western civilization. Iconic ancient sites such as the Acropolis in Athens, the ancient city of Delphi, the Palace of Knossos in Crete, and the ancient theater of Epidaurus, offer…

St. Stephen’s of 2000 and 2024 Not From These Parts The guys had diligently prepared for this basketball tournament for the last 4.5 months. They trained with focus with a clear goal. Five games over two days and winning the tournament, like any, would not be easy, but still possible. The weekend had arrived, but first we had to get to the host school, in Vienna, Austria. International school…