Guyana

Guyana might be one of my favorite countries in South America. Why? When I visited in 2016, I found it to be vibrant, had lots of positive energy and was the only country on the continent with a distinct Caribbean flair. Its major exports are gold, bauxite, wood, and apparel made from US imports. Guyana has one of the largest unexplored oil basins in the world. So when the world petroleum prices increase this represents huge opportunity for this tiny country.

After landing at the international airport, I travelled by canoe down the river to a remote Amerindian Village. These descendants of the indigenous peoples are skilled hunters and craftsmen.

Afterwards, I made my way to the capital city, Georgetown, for a walking tour. We started at the Pegasus hotel and made our way to Stabroek market. The highlight of my time in Guyana was playing cards (gambling) with the locals, trying some local foods fruits and just interacting with numerous Guyanans.

Kosovo

Beautiful mountain vistas in Kosovo Downtown Prizren in Kosovo In 2015, we drove through much of Kosovo and overnighted in Prizren, a quaint and attractive historic city located on the banks of the Bistrica river, and on the slopes of the Šar Mountains in the southern...

Belarus

So many war memorials in Belarus! Jim's Perspectives: When visiting, the ideal time is to enjoy Minsk at night. Minsk is especially known for the “City Gates”, and Privokzalnaya Square. Be sure to visit some of the many WWII war memorials, namely the site of the...

Nicaragua

Jim's Perspectives: I traveled to Nicaragua in 1986, during the Contra War. This was another proxy war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On one side of the conflict were Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, Soviet puppets or sympathizers.  On the other were the...