John Henderson's Travel Adventures in Rome and Beyond

June 19, 2008

Brunei: Islam’s tiny corner of peace and tranquility — but you can’t drink to it

The mosque in Kampung Ayer, better known as Brunei's Venice of the East.

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 […]

January 27, 2008

Eurochocolate: Perugia’s Cocoa Bacchanal

The 13.2-square yard, 7,876-pound chocolate bar at Eurocholate in Perugia.

By John Henderson I stood in a chocolate mosh pit, straining to hear the Italian spoken by a blonde beauty yelling to be heard over the screams of hundreds of people fenced off around us. Frida Ciletti is a sculptor who was carving a 2,640-pound block of chocolate into what looked like a family crest […]

January 16, 2008

Brunei’s $23,000-a-night hotel room blows minds as much as budgets

The pool inside the Empire's $23,000-a--night suite.

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 […]

September 16, 2007

Mountain biking in St. Lucia: Blood, sweat and beauty on the grounds of slavery

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 […]

January 26, 2007

St. Petersburg, Russia: Window to the West

BY JOHN HENDERSON For Away.com The raven-haired goddess in the elaborate red headdress and strategically cut outfit danced and gyrated surprisingly well on her five-inch gold pumps. Two children in angel outfits riding a confetti-covered camel provided a nice contrast, but I had no idea why a giant bunny rabbit was waving to the crowd […]