Photos: Toni Salter

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. ~ Dorothea Mackeller 1885 – 1968

These immortal words, excerpted from “My Country” by an English immigrant poet to Australia in 1904 that are often quoted to reflect the vastness and unpredictability of the Australian countryside.

Like Dorothea Mackellar, I love the broad range of landscape in my country.  The dramatic variety of flora and fauna amidst vastly divergent countryside attracts almost 6 million visitors to a country with a population of less than 23 million. …read more of Aussie Country Diverse, Dramatic and Delicious! here

Tibetan prayer flags flutter in the wind outside the 7th Century Potala Palace.

Hardy Tibetans have lived a simple, cost-effective and sustainable lifestyle for centuries. Sadly, this peaceful, planet-friendly way of life is giving way to the occupation of a modern and militaristic China.

This growing world power has a strong need for Tibet’s timber, coal, sparsely populated large land mass and jobs that pay three times the wages that the Chinese can earn in China. …read more of Modern Tibet, Ancient Culture in Transition here

An old Mercury

I just returned from Cuba, where they don’t have car seats, bike helmets, avocados or berries out of season, traffic or much of anything with a brand name, other than the ubiquitous State branded Havana Club Rum.

Dogs run in the streets with nary leash in sight, but these materially deprived citizens did sport a multitude of smiles, lots of music, extremely grand historic, albeit crumbling, architecture, lovely caged birds and longevity.

According to the United Nations, the average life expectancy in Cuba is 77.3 years, ranking 36th in the world along with the U.S and Denmark.

Market

While the mild climate and relatively stress-free Caribbean lifestyle, (most Cubans live rent-free) and free medical care may have something to do with it, the strict rationing of meat may well be a strong contributing factor.  …read more of Cuba Today – The Life and Culture of Forced Frugality here

Have you given up on the idea of traveling quickly and securely with only a Rollaboard suitcase and carry-on tote? Can’t fit all your liquids and gels into a quart-sized plastic bag?

With these seven travel tips, your days of checking and perhaps even losing your bags could be behind you. Women can reduce all liquids and gels to a one-quart bag. Guys may not need a quart bag at all! You can minimize what goes into the plastic bag and instead shift some of your wet beauty products to dry alternatives.

1. Fill a small plastic container with cotton balls drizzled with olive oil. This qualifies as a non-liquid packable for your toiletry kit. Each of the oil-soaked cotton balls becomes a natural way to remove all of your makeup, even those stubborn all-day lipsticks. …read more of 7 EcoGlam TSA Compliant Travel Tips here

Checked bags often trigger a fee, especially if they are over fifty pounds and generally require a long wait on the check-in line and then again upon landing.

Often, after you collect your bags the thought of taking an inexpensive bus to your destination can be overwhelming; a scenario that may well entice you to pop for a cab or town car, where lines may be long and rates a bit high.

Less baggage means more freedom: freedom to move quickly and effortlessly, freedom from long lines and from too many clothing decisions.  Economy of scale can also free you from the extra time and expense of packing and unpacking unworn clothing as well as wasted resources to get needlessly crushed surplus clothing dry-cleaned. …read more of Baggage…The Good Kind! here