Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Elliott Confidential Podcast

Hello from Hong Kong!

We’ve been exploring this fascinating city and hiking around town for the past few days. We’ve also taken a side trip to Phuket, Thailand, and we’ll share details in this podcast.

But first, this week’s question. Last week, we asked where you’ve felt the healthiest in your travels. This week, we want to know where you’ve felt the most unwell.

This is Tai Kwun, the old Central Police Station in Hong Kong. It’s now a shopping and entertainment complex with a museum.

We had lunch at LockCha Hong Kong, a tea house and restaurant. Yummy dim sum!

Today we went hiking with our friend Gabi from Dragon’s Back to Big Wave Bay, a local beach. It’s not the kind of experience you would expect from Hong Kong — lots of lush vegetation and birds and a white sand beach.

The Anantara Layan Phuket Resort’s new Layan Life medical spa. If you’ve got a problem, they will fix it. I had a bad shoulder and they got it back to almost 100 percent.

Here’s Aren with their physiotherapist, Pat. She showed us a few exercises to keep us in shape while we’re on the road.

Don’t forget to answer this week’s question: Tell us about the most unwell you’ve ever felt in your travels. We’ll read your responses in our next podcast.

Sabaidi from Luang Prabang, Laos!

We’re coming to you today from Phuket, Thailand, but we just got back from Laos and we have a lot to share with you.

Before we get there, here’s this week’s question: In all of your travels, where have you felt the healthiest? (I’m working on a series of stories about wellness, so I will have more on this topic soon.)

One of the highlights of our visit was the Kuang Si Falls, which are some of the most beautiful waterfalls we’ve ever seen. We’ll have more about the falls in our podcast.

The National Museum in Luang Prabang contains artifacts from the old royal capital. It’s a must-see stop on your tour of the city. Although Laos is a communist country, they’re not preachy about it. People here love tourists and they are extra friendly.

Everyone gets around on mopeds in Luang Prabang. If you want to fit in, all you need to do is rent one. We recommend helmets.

Although Luang Prabang has lots of hostels, but also a few high-end hotels like the Avani. We were lucky enough to stay here a few nights. We’ll have details in the podcast.

Hey, don’t forget to answer this week’s question: In all of your travels, where have you felt the healthiest?

Hello from Yokohama, Japan!

We’re in Japan’s second-largest city today at the Westin Yokohama. I’m researching a series of stories on wellness (I’ll have more on that soon). In the meantime, we’re just checking out the place.

Our question of the week: Since it’s Golden Week here in Japan, we thought we’d ask — what’s the one holiday you’d never travel on? (Golden Week is four national holidays rolled into one, so it’s got our vote.)

Yokohama is more spread out than Tokyo. There’s space to walk around. We’ll tell you more in the podcast.

Here’s our room at the Westin Yokohama. Maybe you’ve heard of the Heavenly Bed 2.0. This is the first property in Japan to have all-new Heavenly Beds. I wrote about the Bed Wars many years ago, which were actually started by Westin. We had a chance to try the 2.0 bed, and it was very comfortable.

Ginza is nothing like Yokohama. It’s a frenetic shopping district in Tokyo with crowds of tourists. We stayed at the Yotel Ginza, a hotel for a younger crowd that emphasized efficiency (much like Japan).

Here’s Iden checking into the Yotel. It’s all automated, so you don’t have to talk to anyone if you’d rather not. Iden is a people person, so he also struck up a conversation with the hotel employees. Such a friendly guy!

Don’t forget our question of the week: What’s the one holiday you’d never travel on? We’ll read your comments in the next podcast.

Hello again from Tokyo! This week we’re going local with trips to a Japanese grocery store, a park with lots of Americans (and one with almost none) and we have more funny signs.

Before I get to that, here’s this week’s question: Since this is a holiday weekend in the U.S., we wanted to know — what’s your favorite holiday to travel?

This is Mejiro, our neighborhood. We live on the 16th floor of a high-rise apartment (here’s a view from our balcony). But behind us there are homes and a much more residential feel. It’s perfect for walking.

Shopping for groceries is an adventure. There’s a three-step checkout process — the cash register, payment and bagging. It’s very efficient, but it takes a little getting used to.

We discovered two vast green spaces in Tokyo, and they couldn’t be any more different. Meiji Park, with its beautiful temples, is where you go to meet other Americans. Yoyogi Park is where all the tomin go to ride their bikes or hike.

We liked them both, but Meiji was a little crowded. (In this photo, Iden and I are marveling at all the tourists in Meiji. Honesty, I felt like I was back in the States.) We’ll have more on the parks and Tokyo’s urban spaces in the podcast.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s your favorite holiday to travel? We’ll read your comments in the next podcast.

Kon'nichiwa from Tokyo.

We’ve been here for more than a week and are adjusting to life in Japan. Early April is the perfect time to be here — the weather is still cool and everything is in bloom.

That brings us to this week’s question: What's the longest vacation you've taken?Where did you go — and was it worth it?

We thought the cherry blossoms would be gone by now, but they aren’t. You can still walk around Tokyo and see the famous sakura. We’ll tell you more about this famous Japanese spring performance in our podcast.

Everything must be kept clean in Tokyo. Sweeping up the cherry blossoms is a full-time job. The moment they’re finished, the sakura resume their fall — it looks like a blizzard — and the process starts all over again.

Tokyo is also famous for its camera stores. Here’s Iden with a lens we would never buy (where would we put it?), but it sure takes terrific pictures. The camera retailers carry all the Japanese brands you know — Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon. And the prices are pretty decent, too.

And then there are the vending machines. You can buy almost anything from them, but most of them carry a variety of cold beverages. Iden’s favorite is a peach soda. We’ll have more on the vending machine scene in the podcast, of course.

Our Tokyo adventure will continue next week.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What's the longest vacation you've taken? We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

Surprise! Iden has joined us after almost two years of traveling abroad and starting a gaming channel. We’re so happy to have him back.

Yep, it’s cherry blossom season in Tokyo. You can see them everywhere!

Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place that you keep coming back to? For us, it’s Japan. And New Zealand. And Qatar. And … well, the list goes on.

We love Ramen. This is from one of our favorite places in Shinjuku called Ippudo.

Spring is absolutely spectacular in Tokyo. If you have a chance to come here this time of year, take it! We know it’s special because all the locals were out enjoying the blossoms and taking pictures. (They have the best cameras here.)

We’ll have more on cherry blossoms, a full Iden update and all the news from Tokyo in this podcast.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place that you keep coming back to? We’ll read your comments next week.

Greetings from Singapore. They call this place “instant” Asia because it’s diverse and multicultural. But nothing could have prepared us for what we found.

Before I get to that, here’s this week’s question: What’s the safest you’ve ever felt in your travels? It can be a safe destination, like Singapore or Doha, or a safe mode of transportation, like flying on EasyJet.

Here’s the view from the pool deck of the Marina Bay Sands. Monsoon season just ended, but it’s still a little rainy here.

The hotel is an instant landmark in Singapore. You recognize this building, don’t you?

Singapore is incredibly safe and clean. We’ll have some initial impressions in this podcast (we’ve only been here two days, but we’ll have a full review next week).

This was the view from our room. Pretty spectacular!

We’ll also share our thoughts on the end of our Malaysia tour, including our visit to the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas on the eastern coast of the Malaysian state of Johor. Here’s Aren learning how to prepare Thai food in the kitchen. The hotel chain’s Spice Spoons program gives you an opportunity to learn to cook with the locals. I just posted a story about the Anantara in Forbes this morning.

Have you ever been to Malaysia or Singapore? We’d love to get your thoughts in the comments. Also, don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the safest you’ve ever felt in your travels?

Be sure to tune in to next week’s podcast — I have a big surprise for you!

Hello from Borneo!

We’re in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia’s Sabah state. It’s on the northern tip of Borneo. And wow, what an adventure it’s been!

Before we get to that, here’s this week’s question: What’s the most remote place you’ve ever visited? Borneo is definitely a contender, but we’ve also been to the Antarctic, and that’s pretty remote.

This is the Mari Mari Cultural Village, which features five different indigenous tribes. These guys love to have fun, and we felt like we were at a party. They showed us how they make rice wine, shoot blowdarts and dance. Like I said, it was a party. We’ll have more in the podcast.

The long-tailed macaque didn’t seem to mind our presence. They are not shy, whereas the Proboscis monkey definitely noticed our presence. We’ll tell you what they did in the podcast.

Being here in the rainforest of Borneo made Aren feel like he was on assignment for National Geographic. I worked for National Geographic for 16 years, and I can tell you it was nothing like this. Our experience was more of a celebration of food, culture and exotic animals that you normally see in a zoo.

Speaking of food, we have a segment on Malaysian food that you won’t want to miss. We’re grateful to our friends at Amazing Borneo for helping create our itinerary for this part of Malaysia.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most remote place you’ve ever visited? We’ll read your comments in the next podcast.

Hai from Borneo!

We’re in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. We’ve spent this week discovering the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of East Malaysia.

This week’s question is inspired by Southwest Airlines’ move to end its “bags fly free” policy. Have you ever stopped visiting a place because of a change they made? Maybe prices went up or a favorite attraction closed down. We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

These dancers at the Sarawak Cultural Village were having a lot of fun when we visited. The Malaysians we met in Borneo were friendly and seemed happy to see us. There was a lightheartedness about them that we really liked.

We had the rare privilege of seeing an Orangutan in the wild at Semenggoh Nature Reserve. I just realized I’ve never seen one outside a zoo. I should get out more often!

The Bidayuh Tribe put Aren to work making tea from foraged pandan leaves. The tea is made in bamboo over an open fire, and it’s delicious.

I didn’t do as well. A few minutes after Aren took this photo, I spilled the contents of my bamboo rice cooker all over the woman on the right. I’m so sorry about that!

Hey, don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever stopped visiting a place because of a change they made?

We’re adding Borneo to our “return soon” list — it’s one of the most interesting places we’ve ever seen.

Werte from Alice Springs in the Australian Outback.

Wow, what an adventure! We’ve been to Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs in the last week, and we have so much to share that we had to turn this podcast into a video.

But before we do, here’s this week’s question: Have you experienced xenophobia or anti-American sentiment in your recent travels? I ask because many of our listeners have asked about the dangers of traveling abroad. (We’ll tell you about our experiences in the podcast.)

We loved the minimalist scenery and red rocks of the Northern Territory. It’s the perfect place to contemplate life.

The Kings Canyon Rim Walk at Watarrka National Park. It’s so quiet and beautiful out here. I could have stayed here and hiked for weeks. And at night, you see all the stars.

The road to Uluru, taken early in the morning before our hike around the rock. I almost hesitate to write a caption for this, because I want it to speak for itself.

I took this picture a few minutes later as the sun was rising. You have to see this place at least once in your life.

Our lives are forever changed because we have visited Uluru.

Thank you for watching our podcast this week. I’d love to know what you think of the video. And please don’t forget this week’s question: Have you experienced xenophobia or anti-American sentiment in your recent travels?

We’ll read your comments next week when we’re in Kuala Lumpur.

G’day from Sydney!

We’ve been hanging out in the Harbor City — sorry, I mean Harbour City — and trying not to get into too much trouble.

But hey, it’s us. We always find a way.

Before I forget, here’s this week’s question: Sydney has some of the best mass transit systems in the world. What’s the best mass transit you’ve discovered in your travels? From riding the Strassenbahn in Zürich to catching the light rail in LA, I’d love to hear your stories.

If you have time, check out the Sydney Opera House tour. You’ll see this architectural masterpiece from the inside and hear the controversial story about how this performance art center was built. (I’m working on a story about sustainability at the opera house — stay tuned for that!)

Our daily walk takes us under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Quite a view! Find out what we discovered in CBD — that’s the part of town across the bridge — in the podcast.

Here’s a preview of what awaits. This is Ernesto Neto’s Just like drops in time, nothing at the NSW Gallery. The powder under the translucent membranes is curry, pepper and other spices. Never smelled anything like it in my life!

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the best mass transit you’ve discovered in your travels?

Hello from New Zealand’s scenic South Island. Maybe you’ve never heard of this place, but you’ve probably seen in — in movies like The Lord of the Rings and Narnia. This is where Hollywood goes for epic scenery. And the scenery is epic.

Before we get to the photos, here’s this week’s question: This week’s plane crash in Washington, D.C., got us thinking about dangerous flights. What’s the most dangerous flight you’ve ever been on? I’d love to hear your stories of planes and helicopters held together by ducktape and where you pray for a safe landing. (I’ve been on a few of those.)

Words can’t adequately describe the stunning beauty of New Zealand’s South Island. But let me try. Majestic. Awe-inspiring. Unforgettable. Here’s a view from the famous boulders at Flock Hill Lodge, where the final battle in the first Narnia film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was filmed.

In our podcast, we can’t stop talking about the incredible food — one of the best reasons to come to New Zealand.

We will be thinking about this pizza years from now. It is the pizza against which all other pizzas will be measured. Seriously. Those guys at Flock Hill are geniuses.

Hey, it’s my new friend, Fluffy. He’s an orphaned lamb. Such a cutie.

Bottom line: The South Island of New Zealand is awesome and it should be on everyone’s bucket list. Give yourself a few weeks (it takes at least a week to get used to the time difference) and pack your sense of adventure and your appetite. Details are in this week’s podcast.

Don’t forget our question: What’s the most dangerous flight you’ve ever been on? I can’t wait to hear your stories.

Kia ora from Auckland! It’s been almost two years since we’ve been here. But it’s our first summer here — and we love it.

Here’s this week’s question: What’s the farthest you’ve been from home for the holidays? Here in Auckland, we’re almost halfway around the world from home, so we’re really feeling the distance. (Hi family! We miss you!)

Auckland is surrounded by indescribably green islands. This is the old-growth area of Tiritiri Matangi Island, which feels a little bit like walking through a screensaver. So beautiful!

Just a short drive outside of Auckland you’re in the bush. Here’s the view from Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. We’ll tell you what we thought of our adventure in the podcast.

We had to show you the kumara sourdough from Amano Bakery. Best bread in the southern hemisphere so far. You have to get some early in the morning just after they open because they sell out.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the farthest you’ve been from home for the holidays?

Speaking of holidays, I hope you have a great holiday season! Thank you for listening. We’ll see you soon.

Merhaba from Istanbul!

We’re back in town (we were here in April 2022) and we got to stay for two weeks this time.

And wow, what an adventure we’ve had.

Before we get into it, here’s this week’s question: Have you ever visited a city that changed how you think about food? That’s how we feel about Istanbul, which is one of the world’s great food cities. Details are in the podcast.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the can’t-miss attractions in Istanbul, along with the Blue Mosque, Grotto, and Hippodrome.

People love cats here and treat them like gods. There’s also quite a variety of cat types, like this one. Aren and I miss being around cats, so this visit was very therapeutic.

What would a trip to Istanbul be without a boat ride on the Bosphorus? We actually spent more time on the water on this trip than the last one, mostly moving between the European and Asian side or up and down the strait. It’s cold and rainy in Istanbul this time of year, but the views along the Bosphorus are always spectacular.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited a city that changed how you think about food?

Hello from Limerick!

We spent our last week in Ireland exploring the western coast, including its famous Greenway, museums and castles.

We’ve been here a while. Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place where you’ve overstayed your welcome? Please share your experience in the comments.

This is one of the abandoned and bricked-up railway stations along the Greenway, a rails-to-trail project near Limerick. Other stations have been turned into coffee shops. Details in our podcast.

St. Mary’s Cathedral is right next the King John’s Castle, the number one attraction in Limerick. Autumn is a terrific time to be on Ireland’s west coast — as long as you don’t mind a little rain.

The view from the top of the castle is terrific. That’s the River Shannon below and a nice view of Limerick city.

Thanks for joining us on our adventures in Ireland. We’re off to Istanbul and we’ll record our next podcast from there.

Don’t forget to answer this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place where you’ve overstayed your welcome? We’ll read your comments in the next EC podcast.

Hello again from Ireland. We’ve spent the last few days exploring Northern Ireland — a place we never expected to visit. And we’re glad we did!

Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place you had sworn off — and either loved it or hated it? Please share your experiences in the comments.

A wall commemorating those lost during the sinking of the Titanic. The museum really immerses you in early 20th century Belfast and the events that led up to the Titanic’s construction, launch and her eventual demise. It’s fascinating.

Belfast is a little bit edgy and contrarian, which we absolutely loved! Please don’t call us influencers. (We are podcasters.)

We weren’t expecting the modern and totally walkable city that we found in Belfast. And the weather even cooperated for our visit. I’m told it is almost never this nice — but you know, the Irish love to complain about the weather.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place you had sworn off — and either loved it or hated it? Please share your comments.

Hello again from Dublin!

This week, we discovered an old Irish castle turned into a golf resort and Ireland’s national pastime: complaining about the weather. (The full story is in the podcast.)

Speaking of weather, here’s this week’s question: Tell us about the most unpredictable weather you’ve experienced in your travels. We’d love to hear your story in the comments.

This is Kilkea Castle near Athy. It’s about an hour's drive southwest of Dublin. If you love to golf, but don’t mind a little rain, this is definitely the place to visit.

A view from the second floor of the castle’s immaculate English garden. They also grow vegetables next to the hedges (on the right) and serve them to guests for lunch. So sustainable!

There are ripening apples on the trellises that lead to the river. You almost feel like you’re in a fantasy novel.

Ireland has been quite the adventure for us so far. The people are friendly, the weather is cold and rainy, but most of all, we feel very much at home. Also, we have methods of dealing with bad weather (we’ll discuss them in the podcast).

Don’t forget our question of the week: Tell us about the most unpredictable weather you’ve experienced in your travels.

Thanks for joining us on our adventures.

Dia duit from Dublin!

We’ve landed in the Irish capital, and oh boy, do we ever have stories to tell. We live right across the street from one of the most famous pubs in the city.

Before I show you, let’s do this week’s question: What’s the loudest experience you’ve ever had in your travels? I’d love to hear your tales of noisy parties and high-decibel attractions.

So here’s the source of our noise — it’s the bar to Aren’s left in Dublin’s Temple Bar district. Our rental is directly across from it. We’ll tell you how we’re getting along in the podcast.

The Liffey and the Dock Lands — yes, still under construction — in the distance. This is one of our favorite walks in Dublin because there are nice wide sidewalks and fewer tourists. When the weather is nice, it’s just perfect.

Here’s how they smoke salmon over at Kish Fish, which was part of our culinary tour with Anantara. The fish get rubbed down with salt and left in a refrigerated room for a day before smoking.

That’s Chef Gareth from the Anantara showing us how to make Irish soda bread. It’s delicious and he has a great recipe that only uses plant-based material. We’ll have details about our culinary tour in the podcast.

More from Ireland soon. I hope you’ll join us.

In the meantime, please don’t forget this week’s question: Tell us about the noisiest experience you’ve ever had in your travels. Like, when the Fountains of Bellagio in Vegas go off and you’re right next to them. Now that’s loud.

Hello from Helsinki. It’s a rainy day here in the capital and we are at the end of a two-week whirlwind adventure through Finland.

This week’s question: Tell us about your last airline luggage disaster! I’d love to hear your tales of surprise luggage fees, emergency repacking, and evading the luggage police. We’ll share our tips for avoiding luggage fees in the podcast.

The distinctive architecture of Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. Many Americans miss this coastal city and the archipelago, a collection of 40,000 islands in the Baltic. Aren and I met up with our friend Heli to do yoga on Sunday morning in the castle.

One of the great summertime traditions in Finland is foraging for mushrooms. That’s Sami Tallberg, a famous chef and author who taught us how to pick the right mushrooms and prepare them while we were at Billnäs Gård.

Root vegetables for sale at the market in Turku. I dream of coming back and shopping at this market every morning for food. I’ve never seen such a variety of carrots!

This is Iden Elliott’s luggage in Hobart, Australia, just before he boarded a Virgin Australia flight to Melbourne. I thought were going to have to leave one of our bags behind, but remarkably, they allowed us to board the plane even with a little extra.

We’ll have more tips on how to avoid paying high luggage fees in this podcast.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Tell us about your airline luggage disasters. And bonus question: How do you avoid overpaying for your bags (or having to abandon them).

Hello from Stockholm!

It’s great to be back in Minnesota — I mean, uh, Sweden — and we’ve covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks. We’ll have all the details in this week’s podcast.

Before we get to the pictures, here’s this week’s question: Tell us about your most recent visit to a “hidden gem” — a place that no one knows about but where you had a great experience. We’ll read your comments in our next episode.

Stockholm is a series of connected islands with a famous maritime culture. Of course, Aren had to do his best “I’m on Instagram” pose for this one. (He’s normally not this animated.)

Here’s the treehouse hotel at Granö Beckasin that we mentioned in the podcast. The views are great, but there are a lot of birds. This is their territory.

The concert venue at the Wood Hotel in Skellefteå. One of the challenges of building a concert hall was the acoustics. They solved the problem by installing a series of speakers and wood paneling that absorbs the sound.

We had a chance to fly over Skellefteå to get an aerial view of the city with the Green Flight Academy, which trains pilots to fly electric planes. Sweden in the summer is beautiful.

Here’s the bread Aren was talking about in the podcast. It’s from a bakery called Granö Gårdsbageri, which is out in the middle of nowhere but well worth the visit.

Thank you for following our adventures and listening to our podcast. And please don’t forget to tell us about your favorite hidden gem destination this week.

Hallo from Leipzig, Germany!

We just wrapped up an ambitious tour of eastern Germany, which included Magdeburg, Halle and Leipzig. It’s almost too much to fit into a single podcast — but we’ll try!

Before we get to it, here’s this week’s question: What is the worst destination dupe you’ve ever visited?

Have you ever been to a place that was billed as being “just like” a famous destination, but wasn’t? (For example, Helen, Georgia, is supposed to be a Bavarian town, but it’s not really.) We’d love hear your stories. As always, we’ll read your comments in the next podcast.

We took this picture of Saxon Switzerland’s limestone mountains just before we got hopelessly lost and then missed our train. What an adventure! With temperatures in the mid-90s, it reminded us of Sedona, but a little less red. I think we could have spent weeks hiking around out here. We’ll have details in our podcast.

A Neanderthal at the State Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Halle, Germany. This guy was so life-like, I thought he was going to stand up and walk away. This is also where we met the shaman skeleton, one of the most important archeological finds of the last century. (She did not look so good.)

Magdeburg, Germany. Behind Aren is the Magdeburger Dom, where Otto the Great is buried. Everywhere you turn in Germany, you’ll find something of historical importance. We sure did.

Foraging for berries near Bad Belzig, Germany. The blackberries are in season and you can find them almost everywhere. This part of Germany really reminds me of Iowa.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What is the worst destination dupe you’ve ever visited?

Thanks for listening to our podcast!

Hi from Berlin!

We’ve been exploring the German capital and we also made a side trip to Hamburg. We can’t wait to tell you all about it in this podcast.

But before we do, here’s this week’s question:

What’s the best walking city you’ve ever visited? And what’s the worst? (Also, please tell us why.) We’re asking because Berlin is easily one of the best cities to walk in — it has wide sidewalks and is easy to navigate.

Berlin is one of our top destinations for 2024. There’s so much to do, and getting around the city is easy. We’ve tried to stay away from tourist traps and instead focus on authentic places like residential neighborhoods, local hangouts, and urban gardens. We’ll tell you all about it in the podcast.

Our trip to Hamburg was a little surreal. We stayed in an old WW II-era bunker, which has been converted into a hotel. I’ll have details on this new property in an upcoming article.

Hamburg has a very different vibe from the last time I was there in the 90s. There were parts of town that I didn’t even recognize. Alas, our visit was far too short — we’ll have to come back.

Hey, don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the best walking city you’ve ever visited? And what’s the worst?

We’ll read your comments at the end of the next podcast, as always.

Hello from Berlin.

This week’s podcast is all about Switzerland — our rail tour and our adventures in Grindelwald.

Before we go there, here’s this week’s question: What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten in your travels? I ask because we’ve just finished a tour of Berlin’s urban gardens. And they grow and eat some things you would not expect (details in the next podcast).

Here’s Aren on the Glacier Express with some friends he met along the way. You get eight hours of really stunning scenery on this rail adventure.

The hike up to the Matterhorn in Zermatt. Wow, it just doesn’t get any more beautiful than this. It was rainy and cool for most of our trip, but on this day the sun came out and we had a Chamber of Commerce day.

The famous crows of the Jungfraujoch, in the middle of a snowstorm in July. This little guy was really hungry. I’ll have details on these bird encounters in the podcast.

Here’s a close-up of the Döner Kebab on our unsanctioned food tour of Lucerne. No one knows for sure what they put in these, but they sure are good.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten in your travels?

Gruezi from Zürich, Switzerland!

It’s been a few weeks since our last podcast, so we have a lot of catching up to do. Our adventure has taken us from Tampa to the Swiss financial capital, to Liechtenstein and Germany. That’s a lot of ground to cover.

Before we get to our pictures, here’s this week’s question: Since Zürich has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, we thought we’d ask: What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever visited? And was it worth it?

The best way to get around Switzerland is by train. The SBB, the Swiss train system, has a handy app you can use. Or you can just look up, Aren. The departure information is on the board.

This is Winterthur’s old city on a Sunday morning. I had totally forgotten that everything closes on Sunday, so if you’re making a movie about the zombie apocalypse, and want that abandoned city look, just wait until Sunday. (Although this being Switzerland, you will probably need several permits to film.)

Here’s a view of Zürich from Uetliberg, the highest point in the city. We live in an apartment on the left side, in a district called Wiedikon.

This is Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Those mountains still have snow, which means technically you could go skiing. We have to come back.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever visited? And was it worth it? Please leave your comments and we’ll read them in our next podcast.

Hello from Anguilla. This is the final podcast in our nine-week odyssey through the Caribbean.

Anguilla is a popular alternative to St. Martin, which you can see from the southern end of the island.

Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination? For example, instead of going to Miami, seeing the Florida Keys. Or checking out the East Bay instead of San Francisco? We’d love to hear about your favorite alternates today.

Anguilla is filled with almost indescribable beauty. This is what you see when you check into Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. Pretty spectacular.

The hotels in Anguilla have a friendly rivalry for the best views. Here’s the one from Zemi Beach House, another luxury hotel. That’s a private poll overlooking the beach.

All of these hotels have impressive environmental programs, which I will be writing about in the last installment of my sustainability series.

We’ve really enjoyed bringing you our unfiltered opinions from the Caribbean for the last nine weeks. We’re taking a few weeks off for Memorial Day and will be reporting from another part of the world soon.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination?

Hello from Antigua!

If you like romantic islands with warm blue waters and lots of all-inclusive resorts, you’re going to love this place.

But it’s also a seismically active area. This week, we experienced a small earthquake. Which brings me to our question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.

We took a long walk while we were staying at Keyonna Beach Antigua Resort and saw things we’ve never seen. Enormous conch, laughing gulls, and crabs sparring in the clear water. If you like swimming in a warm, translucent ocean, this is the place to visit.

Breakfast at the Carlisle Bay Antigua. There’s so much to choose from. And that’s quite a view! We’ll share more about our experiences in Antigua in the podcast (Here’s a preview: If you like romance, book your ticket to Antigua. We met so many honeymooners this week.)

This kitten was hanging out in front of my room at Keyonna yesterday. Antigua is exceptionally pet-friendly. And you know, the cats think it’s all for them (which it is).

We have some big news of our own: Aren has finished is coursework for his MA in applied linguistics from the University of Massachussetts, so he is now officially my full-time photographer and podcast editor. Maybe we’ll take one more spin around the world before the next big thing — whatever that is.

Thanks for listening to our podcast. We’ll be in Anguilla next week, the final island in this series.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.

Hello from Barbados!

This is a fascinating island and there’s a lot going on here.

Before I get to the details, here’s this week’s question: Tell me about the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels. We’re asking because Aren is trying to learn how to dive, and it hasn’t been easy. We’ll talk about it in the podcast.

Barbados has the best sunsets. Here’s what we saw on our first evening on the island. I remember my editor’s stories of seeing the Green Flash here. Alas, no flash on the evening I took this photo.

We did a quick rewind to Grenada and our visit with Atebo, our Rastafarian farmer friend. I don’t recognize many of these fruits, which is great. We’re always learning something new. My story on sustainability in Grenada just came out this morning.

Lunch at Villa Casablanca. This is one of the benefits of traveling during the off-season. We loved this part of our island experience.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels? I realize it’s a pretty open-ended question, but have fun with it. The comments are open.

Hello from Grenada, a small Caribbean island just north of Trinidad and Tobago.

Grenada is called the spice island because they grow everything here — allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. When they burn wood, you feel like it’s the holidays because you smell all the spices.

All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had during your travels? (In the podcast, I’ll share my story of thermonuclear Mexican food in Santa Fe.)

That’s a cinnamon tree. You can spend all day sniffing one of these and imagining it’s Thanksgiving back in the States.

By the way, the signature drink here is cocoa tea, and you absolutely have to try it. It’s dark chocolate and a combination of spices. We can’t get enough of it!

In 1983, the U.S. invaded Grenada. They blew up this Russian plane, which is still parked near the old runway. The airport moved to the other side of the island and the runway is being used for drag races today.

We’ll have more from Grenada, including the rest of our island tour and how we discovered some of the best chocolate in the world.

Don’t forget today’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had in your travels?

Greetings from Curaçao!

Today, I have something completely different: I strapped on some dive gear and accompanied lionfish huntress Lisette Keus on an expedition. Keus runs an organization called Lionfish Caribbean that turns these invasive creatures into bracelets, earrings and keychains.

It’s all part of the island’s sustainability efforts.

Here’s this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in? I’m talking about a property that went way beyond the “recycle your towels” sign in the bathroom.

Lionfish are beautiful but deadly creatures that came here from the Indo-Pacific. They’ve been called the perfect invaders because they have no natural predators and can reproduce quickly.

Keus told me she has “a lot of respect” for lionfish — and catching them is not easy. They hide under rocks during the day and are really difficult to spot. Controlling the lionfish population is an essential part of reef conservation. I’ll tell you what it’s like to hunt lionfish in the podcast.

It’s not the only conservation effort taking place on the island. Here’s Gary Farstad, the general manager of the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, with an ornamental starfish made from recycled plastic that washes up on the beach. You can find this recycled art all over the hotel.

Art made from recovered plastics is everywhere in Curaçao, including the narrow streets of Otrobanda, the historic “other side” or Willemstad. Local guide Stanley Flores shows Aren a display made out of plastic bottles.

By the way, here’s the next installment in my series on sustainability on Aruba’s efforts to go green. I just posted it this morning.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?

We’ll be in Grenada next week. I’ll see you there!

Bon dia from Aruba!

People here refer to it as “one happy island” without irony, so we will try to refrain from irony in this podcast.

I’m here to write about Arbua’s sustainability efforts, so we are not doing the usual touristy activities, like lying on the beach, snorkeling and making donuts in ATVs. (OK, to be honest, we wouldn’t do that, anyway.)

Speaking of happy islands, our question of the week is about destination slogans that don’t live up to their promise. We’d love to hear about yours. We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

This is the Shoco, Aruba’s famous burrowing owl. We saw several of them on our birdwatching/sustainability tour with our friend Michael. It’s hard to understate the fragility of Arbua’s ecosystem. All it takes is one ATV to cross a roped-off area accidentally, and this owl is history. We’ll have more about this in the podcast.

The north side of Aruba is uninhabited and very windy but beautiful. You can hike among the rocks and watch the waves come crashing ashore.

As you head south, you get to the developed part of Palm Beach. On this day, just before sunset, there was almost no wind, and the ocean was like a sheet of glass. If you keep driving south to Baby Beach, you can see the coastline of Venezuela.

Don’t forget this week’s question about destination slogans that didn’t quite live up to their promises. I can’t wait to read your comments!

Bon dia from Bonaire! We’re in the Dutch Caribbean right off the coast of Venezuela — and boy, what an interesting place! Reminds me a lot of my old home in the Florida Keys.

Speaking of which, here’s this week’s question: What’s your favorite doppelganger destination? I’m talking about a place you visited that reminded you of another place. (I can’t stop thinking of the Keys while I’m here.)

We spent a few days at Buddy Dive Resort, checking out their Reef Renewal program. The shop is part of an island-wide effort to replant depleted coral.

Caitie Reza of Reef Renewal Bonaire showed us how they are restoring the reef. It’s hard work and requires almost constant maintenance. We’ll have more in the podcast and in my upcoming story on sustainability and tourism in the Caribbean.

The culinary highlight: Having lunch with Saeed from Nature Cooking School. It’s so inspiring to see the school grow its own vegetables on the island.

There may be no better place on the planet to learn how to windsurf. I wasn’t going to risk another fall after that ski injury, so I took pictures.

Hey, don’t forget this week’s question about doppelganger destinations. Tell me your favorite one, and we’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

Ola from Panamá City. We’re in Casco Viejo, a historic part of the city known for its colonial architecture, presidential palace — and boatloads of tourists.

Oh yeah, and there’s a canal here, too.

All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the most impressive public works project you’ve ever visited? The Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal, and the Three Gorges Dam top our list. How about yours?

In the Panama Canal, you can get really close to the container ships. These behemoths of the seas hum and vibrate as they churn through the water. Easy to see how one of these could knock down a bridge; they’re massive.

Still, we kept a polite distance from the ships.

This is the Sofitel Legend in Casco Viejo. In 1989, believing Gen. Manuel Noriega was hiding in the building, U.S. forces leveled it. It’s now a luxury hotel with a terrific view of the canal and Panamá City. We’ll have details in the podcast.

Many of the buildings in Casco Viejo used to be divided into apartments. About two decades ago, investors started to buy the historic properties to restore them to their former glory. The Amarla is a boutique hotel that has a lot of character and a very memorable sweet potato appetizer.

Hey, don’t forget this week’s question about impressive public works projects. We’ll read your comments in next week’s podcast.

Olá one last time from Rio!

This week, we experienced everything — a heatwave, monsoon rains and a double dose of Brazilian culture.

One of the highlights was a visit to the Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, a modernist church based on the Mayan pyramids. It’s one of the most awe-inspiring cathedrals I’ve ever seen. (I’ll share a picture in a minute.)

And that brings us to this week’s question: What’s the most impressive religious monument you’ve ever visited in your travels? Whether it’s a shrine in Japan or a cathedral in France, we’d love to hear about it. And please tell us why it was so meaningful to you.

This is the interior of the Rio Cathedral. Really, we’ve never seen anything like it, and we highly recommend you check it out if you’re in Brazil. Even if aren’t religious, you’ll appreciate the architecture and the attention to detail in this one-of-a-kind building.

One of the other highlights was the Rio Carnaval Experience. It’s a workshop where people create the floats and displays that you see during Rio’s famous Carnaval parade. We’ll have more in the podcast.

They even teach you how to dance the Samba in this fully immersive experience. We admired the skill of these dancers from a safe distance.

Ah, but you can’t escape the Carnaval! At the end of our tour, it was dress-up time. If we had actually participated in a Carnaval parade, this is what Aren and I might have looked like.

These costumes are heavy, and I’m not sure how people dance in them in the summer heat without passing out.

Thank you for joining us in Rio for the last few weeks. It’s been a lot of fun! We’re headed to Central America next. Stay tuned for details.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most impressive religious monument you’ve ever visited in your travels?

Hello from Rio!

Today’s episode is unapologetically touristy. We’re hitting all the highlights, from Cristo Redentor to the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. One is an underrated national treasure, the other is an overrated attraction with next-level crowds.

Speaking of crowds, here’s this week’s question: What is the worst crowd you’ve ever experienced while traveling? I’m talking Tokyo Subway, New Year’s in Manhattan-level crowds. Please share your comments, and we’ll read them in the next podcast.

This is Rio’s signature attraction, Christ the Redeemer. It’s a 98-foot Art Deco statue overlooking the city on Corcovado mountain. It’s on everyone’s bucket list, and rightfully so. There’s a stunning view of Rio below. But …

The crowds are next-level. On Friday morning, it was madness at the top of the mountain. We took our pictures and then bolted. Our recommendation? Visit during the off-season if you can. We’ll tell you more about our visit in the podcast.

Rio’s botanical garden is a national treasure. There’s a better view of the statue from the fountain, and it’s far more serene. Pro tip: Visit the orchidarium, which contains hundreds of rare and beautiful orchids that you can only find in this part of the world.

Of course, there are also the famous beaches of Rio, like Ipanema and Copacabana. They are some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen, but also crowded and a little rowdy at night. Better to visit during the early morning when the sun is still low on the horizon and everyone is sleeping off their hangovers.

We’ll have more from Rio next week.

Please don’t forget our question: What is the worst crowd you’ve ever experienced while traveling?

The comments are open.

Hello again from São Paulo, where the big party is well underway. I’m happy to report that we’ve survived the chaos of Carnaval so far. Details are in this week’s podcast.

Here’s this week’s question: The State Department has issued warnings for several popular spring destinations. Are there any places that are on your “DO NOT VISIT” list for 2024? Please share your place in the comments.

In the podcast, we talk about how tight security is at Carnaval. They got Aren and frisked him. He doesn’t look suspicious at all, right?

Here’s one of the samba schools waiting to start the parade. Those are some big crawfish up there. We attended the festivities early before the real “fun” started, so we didn’t get carried away. (Also, neither of us drinks, which limits our opportunities to get into trouble.)

Yes, this is Aren the next day at the art museum. The São Paulo Museum of Modern Art of the smallest art museums we’ve been to, but the art was pretty interesting. I think this is more our speed. Also, it’s much safer.

Speaking of safety, please don’t forget this week’s question: Which destinations are on your “DO NOT VISIT” list this year? We’ll read your comments in the next podcast.

Olá from São Paulo!

It’s our second week in South America’s biggest city, and we’re starting to find our way around this fasinating place. Carnaval is only a few days away and you can feel the anticipation building.

Here’s this week’s question: Have you ever been in town for the “main” event (like Carnaval in Rio or Oktoberfest in Munich)? I’d love to hear your story in the comments. We’ll ready our comments in our next podcast, as always.

Brazil has some of the best passionfruit in the world, and they are huge compared to the kind you find in Hawaii, Southeast Asia or Madeira. We have been hopping between grocery stories in São Paulo to find the tastiest maracujá. I think the passionfruit at Carrefour is the best (I know, technically, that’s a French grocery store).

We’ll talk more about our favorite passionfruit in the podcast.

This is the MuseuAfroBrasil, a museum that highlights the importance of African people in the formation of Brazilian culture. We found a lot of interesting art and exhibits that explain the link between Africa and Brazil.

This was the most arresting display: The hull of a ship used to transport slaves to Brazil. It’s much smaller than you can imagine. Most visitors just walk around the ship in silence. We’ll talk more about the MuseuAfroBrasil in the podcast this week. If you visit São Paulo, you don’t want to miss this museum.

We’re bracing for Carnaval, which starts in just a few days. Even though Rio is known for the festival, they have a huge parade here and they’re already starting to close off city blocks for the festivities. I’m not sure if we dare go out after dark. We’ll have an update next week.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever been in town for the “main” event? If so, we want to hear about it.

Oi from São Paulo! We survived our first few days in Brazil’s biggest city. You were probably wondering if we would after last week’s podcast.

Before I tell you what happened, here’s our question of the week: If you didn’t have the passport you did, which one would you want? Please leave your answer in the comments.

We wandered into all kinds of neighborhoods in the city before finding our way back to our apartment yesterday. Some of them were not so safe. I’ll explain what happened (and how we got through it) in this week’s podcast.

A fern-covered tree in Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo’s version of Central Park. The park is full of people exercising on a Saturday morning, but once you get off the beaten path, it’s quiet and it feels almost remote. I have a feeling we’ll be coming back here.

You know what they say? They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil. This is the coffee aisle in our local supermarket. We couldn’t decide which one to get. I think we’re going to do a coffee shop tour while we’re here. They take their coffee very seriously in São Paulo.

By the way, if you’ve ever been to Brazil, we’d love to get your recommendations for places to visit and feature in an upcoming podcast.

Oh, and don’t forget this week’s question: Which passport do you covet?

Greetings from Montevideo, Uruguay!

Fainá is a flatbread made of dried chickpeas, water, olive oil, salt and pepper. It’s a signature dish of Montevideo — and in this episode, we discover the best fainá in town.

And that brings us to this week’s question: What is the most memorable national dish you’ve ever had in your travels? Please leave your comments. We’ll read them and respond to them in our next podcast.

Here we are in our tiny apartment in Montevideo, sampling Uruguayan flatbread. Like everything else in the city, fainá is pricey. Two servings set us back anywhere from $6 to $10. We’ll tell you which place was our favorite in the podcast.

Mandatory shot of the Palacio Salvo in the center of town. You go there once and then you return to your neighborhood for the rest of your visit. It’s very touristy and the locals warn that it can be dangerous.

Montevideo has some of the most beautiful buildings we’ve seen in South America. Unfortunately, many of them are in desperate need of restoration. This one is now being used as a music school. We’ll have more on our architecture adventures in the podcast.

Don’t forget this week’s question: What is the most memorable national dish you’ve ever had in your travels?

Holiiii from Montevideo! We survived our adventure on the Chilean volcano, crossed the Andes, and now, here we are.

This week, we’re talking about Southern Hemisphere hotspots where you can escape the cold. We’ll give you our advice on the best places in today’s podcast.

But before we go there, here’s our question of the week. This part of Latin America is famous for its political turmoil, so we want to know: What’s the most unstable place you’ve ever visited?

Speaking of instability, here’s a look at Villarrica volcano the morning we left Pucon, Chile. Yep, that’s lava up there. The volcano could erupt at any time. We’ll have more on our adventures of climbing the volcano in the podcast. You can also read my feature on indigenous tourism in Forbes.

Here’s the volcano by day. That’s Aren with our guide. The ascent takes about six hours. We weren’t allowed to go to the top because the volcano was too volatile.

Crossing the Andes on our way to Uruguay yesterday. Ski season is only a few months away!

Montevideo has one of the coolest-looking airports in the Americas. But before Aren calls his ride, he needed to get that eSIM card working.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most unstable place you’ve ever visited? The comments are open.

Mari Mari from Pucón, Chile. That’s how the indigenous people greet each other in Mapuzungun, the language of the Mapuche.

We’re in central Chile's Lake District, a place with a blue sky and a large lake overlooked by the not-so-dormant Villarrica volcano. At night, you can see the glow of the lava contrasting against the snow. (We’re headed up there tomorrow.)

Last week’s question was about pre-departure rituals. So this week, we’re asking: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a new destination?

The first item on our agenda? A visit to the grocery store. We’ll explain everything in the podcast.

That’s Aren and Mauricio, the village chief. Mauricio was kind enough to share some Mapuche stories with us, which we’ll tell you more about in the podcast.

The Mapuche have struggled for centuries to maintain their culture and identity. We feel very lucky to have met Mauricio and his family.

Our Mapuche friends also showed us how to weave. It is quite complicated and takes skill — and patience.

On May 22, 1960, a 9.5 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of southern Chile, spawning a tsunami that leveled the town below. The Pacific continues to gnaw away at the land. Just before we arrived, the ocean claimed part of this cliff, leaving the boardwalk teetering on the edge.

We’ll be back next week with more pictures from Pucón — if we survive the volcano.

Don’t forget our question this week: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a new destination?

Hola one last time from Santiago, Chile.

It’s out last week in the Chilean capital, so we thought we’d talk about what we do before we leave a destination.

And that brings me to this week’s question: What do you do before you leave a place? Do you have a pre-trip ritual or a favorite thing you always do before you go? Our comments are open — and we’ll read yours in our next podcast.

The ciabatta in Chile is excellent, and definitley on our our pre-departure list. Throw them in the toaster and slice fresh avocado on top. Mmmm. We will miss this part of Chile, along with the incredible produce. More on that in the podcast.

Our daily walk up the mountain in Metropolitan Park of Santiago. The sign is there in case you forget where you are. (I’m kidding; it’s there for people who want to take selfies to share with their followers — gotcha!) We’ll talk about our daily hike in this week’s podcast.

There’s snow up there in the Andes. And you know what that means? We have to come back in July to go skiing. I will try not to get into another accident, but I make no promises!

Pre-departure breakfast in our rental. Aren discovered how to make yerba mate while we are here and now he’s a little overcaffeinated. Something tells me this will be an issue for as long as we’re in Latin America.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: What do you do before you leave a place?

Hola from the Andes mountains. We're in San Alfonso, Chile, at a place called Cascada de Las Ánimas, or Waterfall of the Spirits.

What a great place to end 2023.

All of which brings me to this week’s question: What was your favorite destination of the year? And where are you going next year? (You can answer both for bonus points!) As always, we’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

To get to the waterfalls from Santiago, you have to drive about two hours south and into the Andes. It looks a little bit like Northern California, but the mountains remind you of South Africa.

Aren and I love fresh fruit, so we were happy to discover a medlar tree along the river.

Medlar is delicious. It's sweet but also tart. We spent a few minutes peeling and eating medlar. It was one of the highlights of our adventure.

The Maipo River is unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s a fast-moving current that looks like chocolate milk. As I mentioned in the podcast, people go whitewater rafting on it, and the brochures promise a “wall of water.”

No thanks! I prefer a nice hike up to the falls.

Please don’t forget this week’s questions: What was your favorite destination of the year? And where are you going next year?

Happy New Year!

Hello from Valparaiso on the Pacific coast of Chile.

This is a city that has seen it all. Ridiculous prosperity in the early 20th century, when the “jewel of the Pacific” was one of the world’s leading ports, followed by a precipitous decline after the Panama Canal opened.

Today, the city’s claim to fame is Tomas Slavik’s mountain bike run down to the ocean, captured by drones. Don’t watch it after more than one cup of coffee, or you might jump out of your chair.

We never expected to be here for the holidays. But here we are. All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the strangest place you’ve traveled to for the festive season?

OK, let’s break out the photos of this week’s adventure. First, Valparaiso in 1910. Just four years later, the Panama Canal reduced this lively city to a ghost town.

Today, Valparaiso is still a little run down. The walls of homes are covered in graffiti. But some of the street art is noteworthy.

Heeeere’s Johnny!

You can find an authentic Moai statue from Easter Island in town. It’s probably just a matter of time before the Rapa Nui demand its return.

Valparaiso is built on a steep hill, so you’ll find several funiculars that take you to the top. Many of these elevators are abandoned today, but our guide told us that they plan to restore them soon. I guess they want to put the “fun” back into their funiculars. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Valparaiso is worth a day trip, but we’re happy we selected Santiago as our home base for the next few weeks.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: Where’s the most unusual place you’ve traveled to for the winter holidays? We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

Greetings from Santiago, Chile.

We survived multiple illnesses during our Ecuador adventure, and isn’t that what makes it an adventure? This isn’t the high-energy podcast you’re accustomed to because Aren and I are still recovering from whatever we had. But we are still alive!

In the last few weeks, we’ve gone from practically zero hours of daylight in Spokane, Wash., to a full blast of summer and 14 hours of daylight. Talk about climate shock!

All of which brings us to this week's question: Please tell us your best climate shock story — you know, going from summer to winter, or winter to summer, or from darkness to light. (To be honest, we are still trying to adjust to summer here.)

Here are a few photos from this week’s adventure:

It rains a lot at Mashpi Lodge, but the hiking is spectacular. Aren and I spent our last morning exploring a riverbed with a guide. We met Slava and Ozge, who I profiled in my Forbes story about ecolodges. A shoutout to the Mashpi’s resident MD, Pablo, who gave me enough medication to get out of bed and face the day.

It’s a tropical rainforest, so there’s no shortage of waterfalls. The water is clean enough to drink. You can swim in some of the waterfalls, but not this small one.

Here’s the view of our hiking path in the Metropolitan Park of Santiago. There’s a stunning view of the snow-capped Andes mountains from the other side of the hill. I’ll share a few shots next week.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: Tell us your favorite climate shock story from your travels!

Hello from the Ecuadoran rainforest. We’re in Mashpi Lodge, a three-hour drive from Quito.

We’re thrilled to be podcasting again, and Aren and I are happy you’ve decided to join us. This is going to be fun!

Here's this week's question: What’s the sickest you’ve ever gotten on a trip? (If you listen to the first few minutes of the podcast, you’ll know why we’re asking.)

It’s hard to do the Galapagos any justice with photos. But we’ll try …

Here’s our ship, the Santa Cruz II. We had about 75 passengers on board for our eight-day adventure.

One of the best ways to see fish and coral is on the glass-bottom boat. The water is such a perfect aqua-blue.

These flamingoes came in such a riveting shade of pink, and they were not afraid of people.

This iguana jumped at me from under a rock and approached without fear. I had to move away from him to keep a safe distance.

The sunsets in the Galapagos are stunning. We will come back here someday.

Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the sickest you’ve ever gotten on a trip?

Welcome to the new Elliott podcast. Thanks for joining us!

We're reporting today from Puerto Ayora, Ecuador. We're on the Hurtigruten Santa Cruz II, an expedition vessel in the Galapagos.

We ended our last podcast in Japan. Since then, we've been all over the place, including several destinations in Japan, South Korea, a brief stop back in the U.S., and now Ecuador. We can't wait to tell you about it in this podcast.

But before we do, here's this week's question: When you leave your home country, what do you miss the most? We had an opportunity to ponder that one when we made a quick stop in the States. The answer may surprise you. (In fact, it’s just nuts!)

We've spent the last few weeks in Asia and North America. As we noted in the podcast, each place had a great coffee scene. Here we are in Venice, Calif., last weekend, enjoying an Americano at the Cow's End. Big smiles, everyone! (Or maybe it's just the caffeine talking.)

We're jumping around a little, but I had to show you the view from Iki Retreat at breakfast. Best meal with a view ever. We’d come back and do this again in a heartbeat. Iki is one of the most serene places in Japan, if not the world.

Please don't forget to answer this week's question about what you miss the most when you leave your home country. Your comments are always welcome.

The Elliott podcast will broadcast weekly on Saturday mornings during our tour of the Americas. We’re looking forward to spending our weekends with you again.

Hello from Kyoto, Japan.

This is our final Elliott Confidential podcast. Iden is about to graduate from the University of Florida, and he’s leaving the nest tomorrow to start a new business in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We can’t imagine doing this program without him.

The newsletter will continue, of course. (I have a blockbuster story on the “sequel” to revenge travel tomorrow, and you won’t want to miss that.) And who knows — we may return to podcasting someday.

There’s no question this week since this is our last episode. But if you’d like to say goodbye, the comments are open.

One of the highlights of the week was taking Taiko lessons in Kyoto. These traditional Japanese drums are so much fun to play, but they are extremely loud. There are two soundproof doors between us and the next room. Here are the three of us after learning our first song, which was surprisingly difficult.

Kyoto is filled with temples like the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. It was just a short walk from the Royal Park Hotel, where we were staying. We can’t get over how beautiful and clean this city is.

But the best part of our trip to Kyoto so far was meeting Samurai Joe, the legendary tour guide who taught the boys how to wield a katana, a traditional Japanese sword. Joe is 94 years old, which makes him the oldest and longest-serving tour guide in Japan — if not the world.

Joe's final demonstration was placing a large turnip on a volunteer’s stomach and slicing it with a single blow of his katana. I raised my hand for that. Remarkably, he sliced all the way through the turnip without cutting me. (Thanks for not killing me, Joe.)

Well, that’s it from here. The boys and I will really miss sharing our adventures with you every week. And Aren and I will miss Iden more than we could say in this episode.

Thank you so much for listening.

Greetings from Aizuwakamatsu, Japan.

We’re coming to you from Northern Japan this week, but during the last two weeks, we’ve been everywhere. We’ll share our impressions in this week’s podcast.

Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter.

This week’s question: Please tell us about a trip where you felt out of place — I mean, really out of place. We’ll share our experiences in this episode and read yours in our next podcast.

Iden takes a break at Yuno Lake in Nikko, Japan. This area is famous for its Onsen, the thermal hot springs, and its beautiful lakes. And, as Iden will remind you, they also have great vending machines with cold beverages.

Aren checks out the Tamozawa Imperial Villa, a restored 19th-century villa used by the Japanese emperor. Our visit to Japan has been an almost continuous history lesson. There’s a lot of ground to cover.

One of the highlights of our visit to Tokyo was an all-day tour of Mt. Fuji with our friend Ramkey. At the end of the day, we paid our respects at the Shinto shrine at Kawaguchi, where they worship the mountain.

Shinjuku City, the beating heart of Tokyo. OK, I just made that up. But this place sure is hoppin’. It’s a sensory overload but also an unforgettable experience.

Once again, this week’s question: Please tell us about a trip where you felt out of place — I mean, really out of place. You know what I’m talking about.

Hello from Tokyo!

It’s a miracle we made it back to our hotel after wandering around the Tokyo subway yesterday. But there’s still time to get lost in the city’s concrete labyrinth. (Hey, it’s an adventure.)

Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter.

Here’s the view from the Palace Hotel in Tokyo yesterday as a typhoon grazed the city. Aren and I went underground while the storm soaked the city. We found multiple levels of shops and tunnels leading to various subway lines and rail stations. And, of course, we got lost.

Some of the best restaurants are behind the turnstiles of the Tokyo subway, so you have to buy a train ticket to access them. I’m sure this makes perfect sense to the Japanese, so I won’t argue with it. (Was it worth it? You bet. The ramen was outstanding.)

We took our first bullet train ride this week. Here’s Iden at Kanazawa station just before we left for Tokyo. The legendary Shinkansen was everything we expected — fast, comfortable, and so cool. We’ll have more on the bullet train soon.

One more note about the food: If you want a quick, healthy snack, try the sweet potatoes. They’re delicious and reasonably priced. In Japan, they are our new go-to when we can’t find a restaurant with plant-based dishes.

We’ll be in Tokyo for a while, so stay tuned for more of our adventures …

Don’t forget this week’s question: Tell us your favorite story about getting lost on vacation. We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.

Greetings from Busan, South Korea!

We thought we were on a coastal Japan cruise with Lindblad Expeditions, but yesterday, we took a detour to South Korea. And wow, what an adventure.

Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter.

This week’s question: Have you ever taken an unexpected detour on your travels? Please leave a comment, and we’ll read it — and respond — in our next podcast.

South Korea had the most beautiful Buddhist temple we’ve seen so far. I’m not sure if Iden was checking his messages or taking a picture. I’ll go with taking a picture.

In the ancient capital of Gyeongju, all of the buildings — even the new ones — have the same traditional architecture. Makes for great photos.

The boys spent hours exploring the temples yesterday, and we still didn’t have enough time. If you go, give yourself at least half a day to see the sights.

Our visit to Hiroshima was unforgettable. We’ve never been to a museum where no one says a word, but spend a few hours in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and you will be alone with your thoughts. It’s as quiet as a church.

The convenience stores in Japan have everything. Iden has a lot to say about Japan’s 7-Elevens in this podcast. That’s been his go-to for lunch.

Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever taken an unexpected detour on your travels? We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.