"No more solo travel for me!" acemj's Profile


Let's find some potholes

"Potholes?" you say. A pothole in the road is something unexpected when traveling. Look forward to it. Revel in it. It is not an inconvenience. It is a thing to be remembered. Sometimes it results from our own ignorance. Ignorance is good. We are curious. We travel. We crawl out of the pothole and leave behind our ignorance. But it is a great, big world. And, thankfully, our ignorance is inexhaustible, our curiosity insatiable, and the road is filled with potholes.

If you're new to VT, you've stumbled on the coolest spot on the web. If your experience was anything like mine, you were searching for some information about a possible vacation destination and BAM! you googled your way to some bozo's personal travel website. You read. You were intrigued and soon you recognized an enthusiasm in these pages that seemed familiar because it was the same enthusiasm you carry inside. Face it, you're a travelaholic. Admitting it is always the first step. We're here to help.

Where have I been recently?

Susan and I just got back from Panama City, Panama and Cartagena, Colombia and prior to that we visit Vietnam in November of 2010.

Where am I going soon?

Upcoming trips:

Ghana: November 2011

Next year, we're considering Israel, India, Montreal and Northern California . . .

___________________________________________________________

Including Taiwan, Vatican City and Kosovo, there are 195 countries in the world, which means I've only been to 25% of them!! There's so much to look forward to in life!

Home sweet home(s)!

Here are the places that I've called HOME:

Minneapolis, MN: 1972
Hong Kong: 1972-1981
St. Paul, MN: 1981-1987
San Diego, CA: 1987-1990
Riverside, CA: 1990-1992
Kansas City, MO: 1992-1993
Charlotte, NC: 1993-2004
Philadelphia, PA: 2004-present

Random thoughts . . .

The worst pattern is a holding pattern. Waiting can be a merciless endeavor.

The world is an amazing contradiction; so big and small, beautiful and ugly, harmonic and discordant. It is indeed, a reflection of each of us.

For times when we're forced to stay at home . . .

"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."
- Nigerian proverb

I'm in Philly!!

Well, my nearly eleven year run in Charlotte, North Carolina came to an end and looking back, I have to admit it was a great place to call home for all those years. I'll miss a lot of close friends, but I'm glad to be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I must admit, I feel more at home closer to family and in a bigger city.

"When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"
-- Judges 5:6

May both answers bring you joy and meaning along your journey . . .

  • Intro Updated Oct 20, 2011
  • Report Abuse

Comments (456)

Post a Comment   Submit Comment  
  • Carguja's Profile Photo
    Carguja Apr 29, 2012 at 10:59 AM Report Abuse

    happy super late birthday my man¡ heheh we have a VT couple oming from Philippines and I had the chance to see Laura again...I am happy to see your life is more then nice with your wife...my best wishes...

  • sim1's Profile Photo
    sim1 Mar 31, 2012 at 3:10 AM Report Abuse

    Happy Birthday Mark! I hope you are doing well and are enjoying life! :-)

  • HORSCHECK's Profile Photo
    HORSCHECK Mar 29, 2012 at 12:06 PM Report Abuse

    Mark, happy birthday from Germany. I hope you are doing well.

  • lmkluque's Profile Photo
    lmkluque Mar 29, 2012 at 10:08 AM Report Abuse

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!!!! Hope your celebration was filled with Love, Laughter and Lots of Loot!

  • pieter_jan_v's Profile Photo
    pieter_jan_v Mar 28, 2012 at 10:05 PM Report Abuse

    Mark, Happy birthday wishes from the Netherlands. PJ

  • eden_teuling's Profile Photo
    eden_teuling Mar 26, 2012 at 2:15 PM Report Abuse

    wishing you a Happy Birthday, Mark. Have a wonderful day; enjoy it all! greetings from The Netherlands, elisabeth

  • Parisforless's Profile Photo
    Parisforless Mar 22, 2012 at 3:09 PM Report Abuse

    Early birthday wishes and many happy travels.

    Svetlana Bellon (parisforless)

  • DBSnowman Dec 22, 2011 at 9:54 PM Report Abuse

    thanks for the advice on Cuidad del Este. Do you know if you need a passport or visa to cross the bridge from Brazil to Paraguay on a bus or taxi?
    DB
    Thank you

  • angiebabe's Profile Photo
    angiebabe Dec 22, 2011 at 2:30 AM Report Abuse

    Great pages and pics of excellent places youve been to - wish I had more time and that it took less time to look at everyones pages but it still amazes me finding members who have been here for years with stunning pages ive not yet looked at! Will be back...esp when read you were going to/have been to Ghana. Great place to live Philly? greatly enjoyed my visit there a few years back. All the best for the Christmas season to you and your family and Happy and safe travels and wonderful pics for the New Year ahead

  • NaliniGanapati's Profile Photo
    NaliniGanapati Oct 8, 2011 at 8:27 PM Report Abuse

    Wow!! so many wonderful photo's!!! Nice!

Share your travels with the world!

Join Now!
acemj's Profile Photo

acemj

“Be a life savor(er)”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 0 2 8
Real Name
Mark
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Member Since
Sep 1, 2000

Badges & Stats

  • 4,857 Reviews
  • 6,988 Photos
  • 1,687,472PageViews
  • 34 Countries
  • 169 Cities

Latest Activity

See All Activity

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (4)

Top hotels

Paris Hotels
26625 Reviews - 51992 Photos
New York City Hotels
19517 Reviews - 30170 Photos
London Hotels
26553 Reviews - 43839 Photos
Orlando Hotels
3818 Reviews - 5652 Photos
Las Vegas Hotels
9801 Reviews - 16221 Photos
Rome Hotels
14029 Reviews - 24802 Photos
Dubai Hotels
2642 Reviews - 5910 Photos
Sharm El Sheikh Hotels
1513 Reviews - 2285 Photos
Barcelona Hotels
11812 Reviews - 20912 Photos
Myrtle Beach Hotels
387 Reviews - 422 Photos
Kuala Lumpur Hotels
7102 Reviews - 12683 Photos
Goa Hotels
2324 Reviews - 3734 Photos
Istanbul Hotels
8964 Reviews - 18401 Photos
Bangkok Hotels
11752 Reviews - 20953 Photos
Panama City Beach Hotels
219 Reviews - 281 Photos