scarm's VirtualTourist Home Page

TRAVEL IS ESSENTIAL
The best travel can be in the simplest places and doing the simplest things. We must recognize that travel is a very personal thing, and it does not serve any purpose to advise others on the "best way to travel". In my opinion, the people we travel with and the people we meet make all the difference. I hope you can find something worthwhile on these pages.

I use all original photos, with the exception of my discussion of musicians, of course. I think that original photos are a necessity on Virtual Tourist, as they add another dimension to the experience. Most of my pages are about Brazi, for the time being, but I have now gotten my scanner working and I am reviving some of those old photos, like this one taken of Madrid in 1999, near the Plaza de Espana.

I went on a scuba diving trip once where everyone wanted to dive three times a day. This proved to be a little too much, as this was on an island off Honduras, where there were lots of other things to do, like climbing the mountain, feeding the giant reptiles on the island, taking a speed boat into the little town, and drinking rum and dancing all night in the disco. What does all of this have to do with the scene of the Candian wilderness to the right? Nothing at all, which is exactly my point.

An attentive listener, kindness, a pleasant smile, a gracious host, a helpful stranger. These are all of the things that make for meaningful adventures. Meeting this beautiful young woman from Itapua, Bahia Brasil was the highlight of our visit to the area. She was our server at an outdoor restaurant on the beach near this small town north of Salvador, and her radiant manner and pleasant demeanor made all the difference in makiing the day a memorable one. Thank you wherever you are. You are a wonderful human being and I hope that your life is not difficult.

Not all places are equal when it comes to sunsets. The best ones are in places with big skies, clear horizons, and water. I hope that I will never reach the point where I do not notice a sunset because of all of the other troubles and worries that this life brings. Sunsets are like flowers in that you have to stop and put other things down once in a while in order to enjoy them.

I finid that the world over, people want to be shown respecr. Respect for their customs, respect for their traditions, and respect for their value as human beings. This is the golden rule in disguiise. Do unto others as you would . . . Some of these local customs seem strange, as we have all adopted behavior that we think is acceptable, and while our behavior may seem acceptable to us, it may be seen as boorish to others. It has helped me to observe how the natives of other countries behave and to take this into account when going about my activities. Do not , for example, even think it might be acceptable to enter an active Mosque.

Nothing better than a zoo, I say, for sight seeing, and people watching, as well as animal watchinig. In the zoo in Caracas, the more docile of the animals, like this one, wander freely among the zoo goers. The little girl in this shot got a close up look at a big bird, and I got a great shot of her bewilderment a the sight of the beast.

I try to keep alert for phot opportunities, and I use some of them in my home. This picture has been hanging in my bathroom hallway for about four years, and it continues to remind me of my travels. These are very precious momentos that can transport me to a wonderful holiday, like the 6000 km long road trip through Europe that produced this and many other favorite photos.