Hungary

Went to Hungary with my father in 1997, as part of a 12 day GATE 1 tour through Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, and also visited this lovely city in 2009 with my MBA classmates from the University of Tennessee.

Dad and me in 1997 from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking Budapest, Hungary

“The historic capital of Hungary was formerly two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. Budapest abounds in architectural diversity: from ancient Roman structures, streets of the Middle Ages, monuments from Turkish times, and Renaissance masterpieces. Drive via motorcoach over some of the elegant bridges over the Danube and then to the Parliament building, and the Royal Palace. Drive on the People’s Republic Avenue and visit the magnificent Castle District in Buda. Take in the wonderful view across the Danube from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion, see St. Mathia’s Coronation Church (13th Century) and stop at the Heroes’ Square and Gellert Hill.”

Fisherman’s Bastion looking towards the Danube in Budapest

Tuvalu

This is the tiny island of Tuvalu, which is located about half way between Honolulu Hawaii and Sydney Australia, next to the international dateline ... where today is tomorrow in Tuvalu, 17 hours ahead those of you on the east coast of the USof A! According to the...

Bolivia

In 2016, It took me about 4 weeks to get a visa for Bolivia, which I found curious, not realizing that US-Bolivia relations were strained. Here's why they are; Evo Morales, Bolivia’s current president, started his career as a coca (cocaine) farmer, later rising to the...

Chad

This girl was staring at me ... they OBVIOUSLY don't get many tourists here! Country Information:  15 million people live in Chad and the capital is N’Djamena. The primary languages are French and Arabic, though Chad is called the “Babel Tower of the world” because of...