Bioparc Valencia is extraordinary. Even if you hate zoos – and I’m not really sure I should even call it a zoo – there’s a good chance that you might make an exception for the Bioparc. And before you write this off as promotional hype, I remind readers that I come from San Diego, California, home to America’s most famous and beloved zoo. I don’t pile on the zoo praise easily.

The Bioparc isn’t the biggest zoo, and its animal collection is not the most extensive. What distinguishes the park is its phenomenal, immersive design. The entire complex seems to have been conceived of as a single construction, which manages to convey the experience of wilderness far better than most zoos. It’s a unique Continue…

Amsterdam is very colorful – in every aspect. Since we only had a few days in the capital of quirk and wanted to see as many shades of that color as possible, we chose to explore the city on foot and by boat. While other cities brag about their edgy street life, Amsterdam is all about cutting-edge canal life. In this video, we compiled the highlights of this smokin’ place (pun intended). Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Like the bicyclists, the statues in Amsterdam seem to have had enough of the tourists!

In celebration of recent marriage equality victories in the U.S., we decided rather last minute to spend our 20th anniversary in Amsterdam, capital of the country that first brought the world marriage equality. The Netherlands does things a little differently and that difference is most visible in its offbeat capital. Here’s a little of what distinguishes Amsterdam from other European cities. Continue…

For years, we referred to her as the “lady in the snake bone crown.” We met her while we were people watching at the market in Bontoc in the Philippines. Perhaps, “met” is a bit of an exaggeration as we really couldn’t speak to her. But we sat with her as she showed us her tattoos and her snake skeleton hairpiece, memories of a rapidly vanishing age. Despite the fact that we did not know her name or really anything about her, we remembered her very well. In fact, meeting her was one of the most meaningful experiences we had in the Philippines, a country full of amazing people.

In March 2013, Janet Scott Tama wrote to us to tell us the lady in the snake bone crown was Ina Ngallowan from Tucucan, a village near the Maligcong rice terraces, and that she was still alive and doing well. Putting a name to Ina’s face was an exciting discovery for us. We had talked about her and Bontoc’s vanishing traditional culture many times.

Last week, we received an email from Tesiesakoy Chapap telling us that Ina had passed away. We can Continue…

This week not only marks the 6th year of ContemporaryNomad.com, it also marks the 20th anniversary of TnT. That’s right, good old Tony and Thomas have been exploring the globe together for a whopping 20 years!

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