MONDAY, APRIL 30 Now I know why Porto takes like grape juice but wallops like grappa. It’s filled with brandy! The fucking Brits used to put brandy in their wine to preserve it for shipping. The brandy they use is 78 percent alcohol. That’s just one of the little tidbits of information I heard on […]
NUSA DUA, Bali — A word about security in Bali. In a land of happy faces, in a religion where the centerpiece is peace and tranquility, Bali has some trappings of an island at war. Security is everywhere. The hotel shuttle takes me through two huge gates where armed security guards open the door and […]
KUTA, Bali — The Balinese dancer wore hotpants. She and her co-worker stood above me on a dance platform with skin-tight black short shorts and matching jog bra, both adorned with strategically placed Christmas lights. They were both gyrating to rap music with moves that would cause Shiva, Vishnu and every other Hindu god to […]
UBUD, Bali — I truly believe I’m the only straight male on the planet who liked “Eat Pray Love.” Loved the book and I liked the movie. I’d love the movie but Julia Roberts is truly annoying. Still, the movie captured the magic of Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital where author Melissa Gilbert overcame her fractured marriage […]
NUSA DUA, Bali — A sloth’s existence gave way to massive guilt yesterday and I actually got what passed for exercise around here. Not counting the 45 minutes I did on the illiptical machine to wash away the cobwebs from a 37-hour flight, the most strenuous thing I’ve done is swim to the pool bar […]
NUSA DUA, Bali — Being a closet beach bum, who likes a life where stress is defined by deciding on No. 8 or No. 30 sunscreen, I’m big on beaches. They all have their appeal. The black, sandy beaches of Santorini, the deep, thick golden sand of Tunisia, the blinding, sugary sand of the Seychelles […]
By John Henderson Special to The Dallas Morning News BENSAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei – It’s sunset in Brunei and school children are jumping from their front porches into water that engulfs their floating city. Their laughter and splashing are the only sounds I hear, other than the slow puttering of our motor boat as it […]
By John Henderson Special to the Dallas Morning News JERUDONG, Brunei – See Borneo on $23,000 a day. I found that thought somewhat amusing, if not frightening, when I walked into the hotel suite. Only six days earlier I had pulled myself out of a leech-infested Borneo jungle following a three-day trek through ankle deep […]
By John Henderson Special to the St. Petersburg Times ANSE MAMIN, St. Lucia – I’ve traveled a lot through the Caribbean, and what I saw when our boat pulled up near shore here could have translated to a dozen islands. I walked onto a gorgeous, golden sand beach, in a half-moon bay surrounded by palm […]
