Greetings from Istanbul

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Location: Istanbul Istanbul

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The Real Cost of Cruises

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I've been consuming a lot of bad news to stay up-to-date on this pandemic and it has taken its toll on my mental health. Yet, in the midst of all the bad news, we see lots of motivational posts talking about taking this time to have faith, recharge, reset, and stay positive including a fake letter claiming to share Bill Gates’ thoughts on the coronavirus crisis. The so-called ‘open letter’ that was circulating on social media claimed to show that Bill Gates believes there is a ‘spiritual purpose behind everything that happens.” I know that there’s a lot of misinformation out there including the US president touting the mainstream media as fake news.  I just find it ironic that the real fake news like  John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” and cartoonish editorials like  “A Closer Look” by Seth Meyers open my eyes to the honest truth.  One take away for me is that this health crisis exposes the good, the bad, and the ugly like our dishonest leaders, weak health system, inequality in
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Australia: An Epic Road-trip, Part 6

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Part 6: Melbourne   We stopped in Colac on the way to Melbourne to checkout some tourist sites. First, we drove to the Botanical Garden over-looking the Colac Lake to have lunch. There was a cafe in the Botanical Garden, but we had some takeout food from the Bakery in Apollo Bay: bread, cheeses, scallop pies and other meat pies (Australians love their meat pies). After lunch, we headed to the Red Rock. It's described as a Quaternary volcano complex - an inactive volcano in the most recent period in the Cenozoic era. We climbed the steps to the lookout to see some volcanic rocks and a 360-degree view of grassy craters, hills, expansive valleys and lakes.  It was overcast and the traffic was moderately heavy as we approached Melbourne. We arrived in Melbourne at around five-thirty in the afternoon.  Our Airbnb was a high-rise apartment in an upscale neighborhood with parking. We picked up the key to our accommodation from a convenience store where we also picked up something to eat.
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Chiang Mai Flower Festival: Photo Essay

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The mural details on the this float are amazing. Everything is made from petals! My arrival in Chiang Mai, Thailand coincides with the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is held every year in the beginning of February (Feb 1-3). Call it good Karma for I have three days to spend in the city before heading to my work assignment at the Forest Conservation at the Elephant Home. My program director offers me a quick tour before dropping me off at my guesthouse in the Old Town part of Chiang Mai.    We are heading to the riverside and the moat when I noticed a street that is cordoned off.   I ask my program director what’s going on.   It occurs to him that it’s the beginning of the flower festival.   He points me to the restaurant where I can get lunch and tells me that the Suan Buak Haad Park, which is the center of the flower festival, is just around the corner.   He says it’s an area that I can explore on my own since it’s really near my gu
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