The No B.S. blog about Travel and Writing for Life.

Posted by Devin on Mar 17, 2013

Tianguis 2013 in Puebla, Mexico

Promoting Mexico at Tianguis It was standing room only, but I found a seat among the several hundred international media in attendance at Tianguis 2013 in Puebla, Mexico. The cameras flashed constantly as the VIPs made there way across the stage and sat down much to quickly. “Photo!” One photographer called, which prompted a similar chorus of dissatisfied shutterbugs waiting to get a better...

Posted by Guest Post on Nov 20, 2012

The Food Pantry and You!

Politics, Charitable Contributions and the Food Pantry In the months leading up to the election, there was no shortage of politically-charged opinions and, in this digital age, my Facebook newsfeed was overflowing with damnations and sweeping generalizations of those “greedy” Republicans and Democrats who “live off the government”. Mitt Romney was vilified for his comments about the 47% and the...

Posted by Devin on Oct 16, 2012

Buddhism: Alive and Well in Thailand

Buddhism: Alive and Well in Thailand The people watching in Thailand mesmerized me. I was in the village of Baan Nuer Wat Thea Wa Sang Karam, near Kanchanaburi and the infamous River Kwai in Thailand. I watched as the Thai people paraded around me, and their sacred temple, with candles, incense and peaceful focus. Hundred of people swarmed. Monks chanted in the background as the smell of sweet incense...

Posted by Devin on May 6, 2012

In Photos: Old Town Talinn, Estonia

In Photos: Old Town Talinn, Estonia The old town of Talinn, Estonia, surprised me. Not that I had any particular expectation. I didn’t. But these photos of Talinn, Estonia , speak for themselves. I was not planning for something that rivaled the well-preserved old town of Sweden’s Stockholm. Old town Talinn, Estonia, is a compact walkable city with lots of incredible history and numerous...

Posted by Guest Post on Mar 25, 2012

The Modern Muslim Woman

The Modern Muslim Woman Just tuning in to listen to the daily news one can’t help but be struck by the bombarding array of fear associated with Muslims; the terrorist plots, the Sharia Law, and the fact that Muslims, and in particular a Muslim Woman who wears the hijab (Islamic headdress), can’t really be called “modern” as they are choosing not to assimilate. That is what I see each day while...

Posted by Devin on Sep 21, 2011

The Art of the Interview

Sthu Zungu, the President of South African Tourism in North America, met me for a last second interview a couple of weeks back at a small-ish trade meeting in Beverly Hills. It was a last second opportunity that I wormed in between her other appointments. Normally, I would cut down a general interview about a destination like South Africa down to 2-3 minutes, but I left this one unedited, because Sthu was...

Posted by Devin on Sep 4, 2011

Failed Writer? Novel Writing with a Bucket

Novel Writing with a Bucket I don’t mean to start this post off about novel writing with me whining already, but I don’t have loads of time. 40+ hour a week day job. Married. Toddler and teenager in the house. Plus I’m one of those terrible people who needs to sleep in order to function. And then I’m a writer. I just sold one novel and I’m in the midst of working on another...

Posted by Devin on Aug 26, 2011

Travel. Write. Live. Relaunches!

Travel. Write. Live. Relaunches! So I blew it. I wanted to develop Travel. Write. Live where I could talk about travel and writing that fell outside of a traditional travel article, something that explored the art of writing and included thoughts about how travel and writing pertained to life, but I blew it. It was not that I ran out of creativity or topics. Instead, I started worrying about social media...