Most of the Black Madonnas have been hidden in forgotten corners of ancient churches or incorporated seamlessly into Catholicism as if they were not Read more…
From the time of the Middle Ages, people in Southern France have honored Les Saintes Maries—”The Saint Marys”—with Sara’s Procession to the Sea. Candles in hand, the crowds of worshippers take part… Read more…
This week's blog is a guest posting from Barbara Wiseman, President of The Earth Organization. She has been to South Africa on their Eco Safari and experienced it up close… Read more…
About every quarter, we pack an overnight bag, leave the dogs with a housesitter, and drive the two-and-a-half hours from LA to San Diego to visit my favorite cousin, Randy, and his long-time girlfriend, Lisa. Wonderful people, warm, hospitable and friendly, Lisa is a Catholic who attends mass, well, religiously, and Randy is a bit of an atheist. In fact, he seems to have embraced food as his religion, and Greg and I inevitably come home with a "meat hangover" by Sunday evening. Read more…
A visit to the holy springs of Tirta Empul is a glimpse inside Bali's spiritual heart. Almost devoid of tourists but brimming with locals come to take the holy waters,… Read more…
Ketut Liyer - visiting with a BalianDid you read "Eat Pray Love"? Do you want to meet with a famous Balinese Shaman? Ketut Liyer, thanks to the best-selling book, "Eat Pray Love", has found himself catapulted to fame and at least some small fortune as the most important Balian on an island of very spiritual people. And earlier this year, Spirit Quest Tours was in Bali for two weeks with a group of 35 American tourists, many of whom had read the book and were hoping to meet Ketut. Luckily, our Balinese guide knew him, and where he lived, and I was able to send him over to Ubud to set up an afternoon for our group to see him.
Egypt Travel Tips - 5 things you should know before you goMost of the guests who come on our trips have never been to Egypt before - hey, some of them have never left their country before! We want to make everyone comfortable and at ease, but we do always get the same questions in advance of a trip and after ten years, I thought this should be the first thing I address in my brand new blog!