David Paul Appell's Blog – June 2012 Archive (5)

B’ix a Beel? Key Words & Phrases for a Vacation in the Mundo Maya

When you visit the local towns, museums, and awesome Mayan ruins on the Riviera Maya and the rest of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula (or for that matter in Honduras and Guatemala)…

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Added by David Paul Appell on June 29, 2012 at 10:36am — 1 Comment

Whale-Watching in Samaná, Dominican Republic: A Paean to Cetaceans

There are few sights in nature more dramatic and moving than that of a majestic leviathan of the seas (or better yet, a pod of them), and a number of areas around the world are known as great places to go spot them on their annual migrations. The Dominican…

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Added by David Paul Appell on June 19, 2012 at 10:22am — No Comments

What Is 'Santería'? For Many in Cuba, Way More than Just Voodoo

In the Western Hemisphere, the religions brought over by African slaves have been part of the scene for centuries in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and most famously Haiti. But until not many years ago, they were largely condemned by the Roman Catholic church and dismissed as…

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Added by David Paul Appell on June 11, 2012 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Capoeira, A Haunting Star of Brazilian Culture in Salvador

One of the great things about living in Miami is its unrivalled mix of Latin cultures, and Brazilians play a big part in that. One thing that especially stands out is that it…

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Added by David Paul Appell on June 6, 2012 at 10:30am — No Comments

Exotic Churches a Fascinating Part of Travel to Bulgaria

When you think of travel to Bulgaria, what comes to mind first? For me, one of the cool things about visiting this fetching little Balkan country is its touches of exoticism, part of an ancient cultural heritage that stretches back to 5,000 BC, and of of the features which I find most noticeable is its Eastern Orthodox…

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Added by David Paul Appell on June 1, 2012 at 1:13pm — No Comments