Like a faded movie star well past her prime

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Panama´s Contadora Island, former home of the exiled Shah of Iran (and, so the rumour goes, Christian Dior)  is a beautiful gem off the coast of Panama that's lost a bit of its polish. This abandoned ferry (and the abandoned 300-room resort nearby that's been stripped of everything but the walls and floors) symbolizes what this island once was (a playground for the rich, famous and bejewelled) and what it might be again one day if the right folks are willing to cough up the cash. It seems the days of a drug-money-fuelled economy, on this island at least, are gone, and the flagging tourism industry needs a shot of somethin'. Regardless, we're having a ball. And the girls dig it.

Countdown to Lebron live ...

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A big thrill for the munchkins: Heat vs Hawks at American Airlines Arena.

New York City tourist cliche #1

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When Madonna first came to New York City and told the taxi driver to "Take me to the centre of everything", he must surely have brought her here to Times Square.

Annie and Molly take it all in, like the rockin' travel companions they are....

Travellin' Mama weighs in at Rookie Moms

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Today on America's Rookie Moms:  http://www.rookiemoms.com/travel-with-little-kids-yes-says-travellin-mama/

The Toronto Star star asks: Is Travellin' Mama nuts?

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Am I nuts? Maybe. Am I prepared? Definitely!

Check out the Toronto Star today - front page of the Life section:
http://www.thestar.com/living/parent/article/1294139--travellin-mama-s-gearing-up-for-family-adventure-in-central-america

Next up, Central America (at last)

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The last big adventure led to Travellin' Mama, which was about the funny stuff that happens on the road with kids, (and all the incredibly annoying shit that makes you want to start smoking again).

This time around, the kids are a bit older. I like to think we’re all a wee bit wiser. And I have no second thoughts about the wisdom of taking them on a two-month journey through Central America –starting eight sleeps from now with a side trip to New York City, D.C. and Miami.

This latest odyssey might lead to another book some day, but it almost certainly won’t be about travelling with kids.

Because how much more is there to say, really? I could tell you that even when things go pear-shaped, travelling with kids is still insanely rewarding. I could wax lyrical on the pleasures of forced family fun. Maybe throw in a few platitudes about giving kids experiences rather than things.

But I won’t be saying anything that Travellin’ Mama doesn’t already cover.

So for those of you who haven’t bought the book, why not give it a go? The reviews give me cause to think it’s not just me (and my friends) who find it funny!

Meantime, follow this blog to see what crazy shit we can get up to in the Big Apple and beyond, backpacking and busing around Panama – the Pearl Islands, the Canal, the Highlands and Bocas del Toro – and on to Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula and the Nicaraguan jungle.

And remember Mark Twain, who said it so well: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

Travellin' Mama: South African readers takes notice

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Breaking into the South African media for the first time! Check it out: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCioQXNhZXpSaUVoZmc/edit