Travel Letters

New York City: "Twelve Time Zones and the Taft Reunion."

Posted September 16, 2008 by Jan
United States

New York, New York
USA
September 21, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

During my extended visit here in the USA , I have been asked several times, "Jan, how was your high school reunion?"

My answer? "It was electric."

From Friday evening, September 12 until Sunday afternoon, September 14, for three days in New York City , the air was charged, ionized, and magnetized with anticipation and excitement. How could it be otherwise? Classmates and teammates, pals, buddies, old chums, girl friends and boy friends, we have not seen each other in oh so many, many years. (Don't ask).

It was electric.

The South: Georgia & South Carolina: Small Towns - Big Hospitality

Posted April 27, 2012 by Jan
United States

  Miami, Florida

 USA

 Wednesday

 April 25, 2012 

Hello, 

I’ve just returned to Miami after a five day excursion to the South.  Of course, Miami is in the South of the United States.  But with the large population of Latin Americans and hordes of retirees from colder cities, Miami feels more like “Northern Havana or Southern New York.”   

I visited the real South – the South of biscuits and gravy and sausage patties and buttery grits for breakfast, Bar BQ pulled pork and pecan pie for lunch, and a Golden Corral (monstrous) buffet dinner – steak, fish, salad bar, vegetables and side-dishes of every description, soft serve ice cream with all the toppings. The pièce de résistance is a tower-fountain of free-flowing chocolate sauce.  

USA: South, Northwest. Northeast, South

Posted July 7, 2012 by Jan
United States

The City of Aventura

The City of Excellence

Miami-Dade County

Home of the Marlins, the Dolphins, the Heat

State of Florida

The Sunshine State

United States of America

July 6, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

On occasion I hear the refrain, “Jan, I can’t keep up with you!”

On occasion I say to myself, “Jan, I can’t keep up with you, either!”

I just completed a two week trip around the country…from Miami, Florida to Houston, Texas to Portland, Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts to New York, New York.

Bridges of China

Posted November 3, 2025 by Jan
China: Provinces

Jomtien Beach

Chon Buri Province

Thailand

November 3, 2025

Hello, 

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou Province, China is the highest bridge in the world.  This colossal structure opened in September, 2025.

Who knows if I shall ever visit this marvel of engineering.  Nevertheless, I am motivated to collect many of my photos of bridges that I have already seen in the People's Republic of China.

I do have my favorites: The Seventeen Arch Bridge at the Summer Palace in Beijing. The Uncountable Lions Bridge in Wanping City.  The pink! steel arch Bailing Bridge in Fuxing, Taiwan.  And how can I forget the rickety walkway-bridge at Zhangjiajie National Park?

Please click on the photo above for my Gallery of Bridges.   And scroll down for  videos of the Highest Bridge in the World.

Cheers,

Jan

PS Which bridge is your favorite?

Two videos below.  The first one is a brief travel video.   The second one runs about twenty minutes and reviews the construction process.  But don't worry.  Even those of us with humanities degrees or business degrees will understand the basic engineerimng principles.  The history is fascinating.  The problem solving is astonishing.

 

Cheers and Memories

Posted July 20, 2025 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

 

Prelude

At thirty-eight, I ran the first of my six completed Marathons in September, 1978 in New York City. The race traverses all five boroughs of the City.  The race begins at Fort Wadsworth Park in Staten Island and immediately crosses the Verrazano Narrows Bridge across New York Bay to Brooklyn.  Through Bay Ridge and downtown Brooklyn and across the Pulaski Bridge to Queens.  Then across the 59th Street-Queensborough Bridge to Manhattan, north to the Willis Avenue Bridge to the South Bronx, and then the Madison Avenue Bridge back to Manhattan, through Harlem and Central Park and finally to Tavern on the Green Restaurant near Columbus Circle.  (A friend of mine quipped, “I wouldn’t even want to drive that route!”)  The race covers the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers!

Here's a cute story I like to tell about that race: “I ran the race with the famous marathoner Bill Rogers!  He is the eventual winner at 2’ 10”….  But when he crossed the finish line in Manhattan, I was still slogging along in Brooklyn!”

.............................................................................

Jomtien Beach

Thailand

Early Sunday Morning

July 20, 2025

Windy and Overcast

Hello,

And speaking about runners slogging (or just walking) along:

 By the time I realize what is happening in my neighborhood this morning, the Pattaya Marathon had been in progress for three hours. The elite runners and well-trained long-distance runners have already crossed the finish line.  Since my location on the route is at 32 kilometers. or about 20 miles, I am watching “the back of the pack.”

Pages