acemj's VirtualTourist Home Page

"Potholes?" you say. A pothole in the road is something unexpected when traveling. Look forward to it. Revel in it. It is not an inconvenience. It is a thing to be remembered. Sometimes it results from our own ignorance. Ignorance is good. We are curious. We travel. We crawl out of the pothole and leave behind our ignorance. But it is a great, big world. And, thankfully, our ignorance is inexhaustible, our curiosity insatiable, and the road is filled with potholes.

If you're new to VT, you've stumbled on the coolest spot on the web. If your experience was anything like mine, you were searching for some information about a possible vacation destination and BAM! you googled your way to some bozo's personal travel website. You read. You were intrigued and soon you recognized an enthusiasm in these pages that seemed familiar because it was the same enthusiasm you carry inside. Face it, you're a travelaholic. Admitting it is always the first step. We're here to help.

My newest completed pages starting with the newest are:

Ihlara Valley, Turkey
Zelve (and Devrent Valley), Turkey
Derinkuyu, Turkey
Ortahisar, Turkey
Kayseri, Turkey
Agzikarahan, Turkey
Quito, Ecuador
Hacienda La Cienega, Ecuador
Laguna Quilotoa, Ecuador
Tigua, Ecuador
Pujili, Ecuador
Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, Ecuador

I was just in Turkey for 12 days, mostly exploring the bustling streets of Istanbul, but also climbing around the bizarre landscapes of Cappadoccia. Before that, I spent two weeks in Bogota, Colombia and various places in Ecuador. What an unexpected, great trip. It solidified the idea for me that traveling "loosely" without over-planning is the only way for me. Some of the best surprises happen when you least expect it. A month prior to that I was in San Francisco. It was mostly work, but I managed to find some time to explore Berkeley and to have fun in the city. In April I was in Iceland and Scotland and will be updating some trip info soon. I was also recently in Peru and Bolivia where, despite a little Inca Belly problems, I had a blast. Before that, I was in Mexico City where I enjoyed meeting a couple VTers and eating cheese and corn ice cream!

Here are the places that I've called HOME:

Minneapolis, MN: 1972
Hong Kong: 1972-1981
St. Paul, MN: 1981-1987
San Diego, CA: 1987-1990
Riverside, CA: 1990-1992
Kansas City, MO: 1992-1993
Charlotte, NC: 1993-2004
Philadelphia, PA: 2004-present

The worst pattern is a holding pattern. Waiting can be a merciless endeavor.

The world is an amazing contradiction; so big and small, beautiful and ugly, harmonic and discordant. It is indeed, a reflection of each of us.

VT is too much work!

Pages to build:
Scotland pages
Austria pages
Guatemala pages
Segovia
Minnesota
Valley Forge National Historic Park
Lambertville, NJ
Ricketts Glen State Park, PA
Jim Thorpe, PA
Kennebunkport, ME
Salem, MA
Poland pages
Syracuse, New York
Belgium pages
Paris, France
Mystic, Connecticut
Peru pages
Bolivia pages
Ecuador pages

Pages to heavily update:
Philadelphia
New York
USA
North America
Saint Paul, MN
Spain
Boston, MA
Cambridge, MA
Portland, ME

"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."
- Nigerian proverb

Well, my nearly eleven year run in Charlotte, North Carolina came to an end and looking back, I have to admit it was a great place to call home for all those years. I'll miss a lot of close friends, but I'm glad to be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I must admit, I feel more at home closer to family and in a bigger city.

"When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"
-- Judges 5:6
May both answers bring you joy and meaning along your journey . . .