Ellen said she wanted to visit civilized Western Europe for a change. Clean toilets for a change is what she really meant. I'd have been content to see the Diamondbacks new stadium in Phoenix. But after seeing the movie "In Bruges" I relented. "In Bruges" is a dark comedy about a couple of hitmen who've been sent to Bruges for reasons unknown to them. Their psychotic boss Ralph Fiennes does have a plan though. Ralph believes everyone should see magical ...

Amsterdam is Paris, but smaller. Venice, but with less tourists. Sitting at any one of the numerous cafes along the treelined canals with a tiny glass(25cl)of La Chouffe or De Koninck beer is heavenly. How we make it home to our hotel without getting stoned simply from the scent of marijuana that flows from establishments called "coffee houses" is a mystery. Hookers in storefront windows, marijuana in restaurants. What a remakable city. If only they knew baseball...

For the record only:

 Apoyo Lagoon or Laguna de Apoyo, not far from Granada Nicaragua, was formed 23,000 years ago when a strong volcanic explosion left an enormous hole measuring 6 km in diameter. Apoyo is conical, like an inverted volcano, 200 metres deep at its centre. Over time subterranean waters and rain filled the crater, which is surrounded by lush vegetation. I was able to dive with a local biologist named Lorenzo who showed me four types of fish that exist nowhere else on ...