The Traveling Pancy

Each night during dinner, the local Zulu tribe entertained us with rousing traditional dance performances accompanied by the rhythmic beating of drums. This piqued our interest to learn more about Zulu culture, so when Chief Majuda approached us selling tickets to the Zulu Village down the road, we bought some. The Zulu are the largest…

We met our ranger and companions at the jeep loop in the late afternoon for our first safari. Mark was to be our ranger and excursion guide for the week. Eight other people were our ‘assigned team’ – we would safari, dine and possibly even take off property day trips together for the week. Mark…

How fortunate that we were able to take this journey in mid-March before the world shut down with COVID! We had become the proud owners of a South African safari the year before as the result of a well-intentioned whim – we thought we were starting the bidding on a 6 day trip to Zulu…

As seductive as Villa Aves de Paraiso, the Santiago Pennisula and its surrounding bays were, I wanted to see more of the state of Colima. Despite the State Department warnings of armed drug lords running rampart throughout the state, our villa owner assured us we would be safe exploring the surrounding countryside and the ‘white…

The terrain surrounding the Santiago peninsula is mountainous and begged for exploration, so we planned an afternoon ATV excursion into the mountains. Marteen drove us to an outfitter on the outskirts of Manzanillo. After donning helmets, goggles and kerchiefs, we had a brief orientation on how to operate the ATVs, and I mean brief, since…

The pristine beach at the private club on the Santiago Peninsula did not disappoint – check for this attribute of paradise! We spent several afternoons here enjoying the sun, surf and sand. Marteen would pack a cooler of cold beverages and snacks and drive us the short distance to the club. From the parking lot,…

One of my many versions of paradise is luxuriating in my own private villa perched atop a cliff with sweeping views of the ocean. Of course, warm sunny weather, tropical breezes and magnificent sunsets are a must (especially when it’s cold back home). Throw in a private pool, access to a pristine sandy beach, outdoor…

I was quite the globetrotter in early November traveling from Detroit to Phoenix to Toronto to San Juan in the course of a week. Moving from cold overcast to dry sunshine to wet snow to humid heat within a matter of days, made packing challenging as I strategized how to fit professional and casual clothes…

All too quickly, it was the final day of our workshop. The evening before, fellow writer and appointed local guide, K, volunteered to take any early risers to watch the day break over the Wukoki ruins in Wupatki National Monument. Four of us jumped at the offer and left our warm beds without even a…

I was able to partake in both Day of the Dead and Halloween festivities while in Flagstaff. Coincidentally, these holidays fall next to each other on the calendar and although both involve skeletons, treats, graveyards and death imagery, they significantly differ in their origins, traditions and meaning. Given the large number of Mexican Americans in…