The Travelphile

23/04/2025

Like countless others, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Pope Francis. His pastoral approach to the papacy, his faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and his genuine compassion for those most in need seemed to reflect his true character, not only as a servant of God and the leader of the Catholic Church but also as the very “human” being he was.

No one is perfect. No one makes all the right choices. But I think he tried to do right, to help as many as he could, to guide us towards paths of kindness and charity, and to champion those who were marginalized.

He emanated love, and just being in his presence—even at 5, 10, or 100 meters away, it was palpable. I’m forever grateful that I could experience this during a benediction service he did in St. Peter’s Square in May of 2015, along with a few of my tour members.

While I grieve his passing, I am truly elated knowing that he is at rest, not suffering, and is sharing in God’s glory in heaven. And I kind of like to imagine that my own dad is up there with him, conducting a choir of angels to welcome him home.

22/02/2025

We’re at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park this weekend taking advantage of the Southern California Residents discount going on now through May 15. And we want to share not only some of the fun experiences we’re having but also some useful insights that you can use on your next visit to the !

Things we find extremely helpful:

• Using the A-Way We Go app to purchase and use day passes ($6/pax) for round-trip bus transportation on the Anaheim Regional Transportation (ART) from our hotel (Delta, a Marriott hotel) to Disneyland Resort

• 🏰 📲 Using the Disneyland app to:
- check wait times for rides and performances
- strategically choose and secure timed entries for our preferred rides with our Lightning Multi-pass
- join Virtual Queues (when available) for shows like World of Color or Fantasmic!
- order food and choose our desired time frame for pick-up
- avoid long cashier lines by using the Merchandise Checkout feature
- capture memories with our linked photos with Disney PhotoPass
- take fun filter photos and videos with the PhotoPass Lenses

• 🏨 Going back to the hotel in the afternoon to be the heat and crowds (although neither are too bad today) so we have enough energy for the evening

• 🍡Scoping out our sweets and treats options throughout the day so we know where to go at the end of the visit. We don’t want to carry a bunch of stuff around all day, so we buy stuff on our way out. Our favorite items: the Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie Cup , the Milk Chocolate Waffle Cone Caramel Bar 🍫, and Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪

• 🔋Bringing a portable phone charger, just in case

• 🚰 Saving money and plastic by using reusable water bottles and filling up in the parks

What are some of your tips and tricks for visiting Disneyland and California Adventure?

25/12/2024

To you and yours, we wish you a holiday season full of kindness, goodness, and all the things that bring happiness into your lives!

From Trish, Mike, and Lucky 🍀
M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S !
✨🎄🌟🎄🌟🎄🌟🎄🌟🎄✨

02/11/2024

Ksar Aït Benhaddou

This historic hill-nestled village has earthen clay fortifications dating back to the 11th century, although most of the existing structures protected within the walls have only been around since the 1600s.

In addition to dwellings, this *ksar* and its *ksour* (plural) counterparts throughout Northern Africa would have had communal spaces including a granary, mosque, hammam, oven, and a kasbah (citadel). This site also includes both a Muslim and a Jewish cemetery.

For centuries, the ksar served as a strategic site along the trans-Saharan trade route, linking Sudan to Marrakesh.

These days, few inhabitants remain , relying on agriculture and tourism as principal income sources. With its cinematic aesthetics, it has served as an impressive location for such films as *Lawrence of Arabia*, *The Man Who Would Be King*, *Time Bandits*, *The Jewel of the Nile*, *The Last Temptation of Christ*, *The Mummy*, *Gladiator*, and *Kingdom of Heaven*, as well as the epically popular series *Game of Thrones*.

With its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, Aït Benhaddou benefits from protection measures to manage and preserve the cultural and structural integrity of the village.

25/10/2024

Settling into our Moroccan desert oasis dwelling in Ouarzazate Province, I think each person in our group marveled not only at the swank beauty within the walls of the property but also the expansive majesty of the arid-meets-lush landscapes surrounding us.

From every vantage point of this multi-storied oasis, whispering winds breathed a warm welcome to us all.

24/10/2024

Ouarzazate Is Where It’s At

Earlier this year, I headed to North Africa to apprentice a Morocco tour with my friend and colleague, Reid Coen of Imprint Tours. I’ll be leading this tour in October 2025; so I needed to get up to speed with the ins and outs of the itinerary and get to know our local guides and vendors.

Because I was coming from another tour I was working, I had to hop into Reid’s tour while it was already in progress.

I arrived at nearly midnight at the airport in Ouarzazate (WAHR-zah-ZAHT; Beck’s hit song“Where It’s At” always runs through my said when I say this city’s name). The Kozyhome—my lodging for the night—had a taxi ready for me (50 Moroccan Dirham or $5 USD), and by 12:30 AM, I had nestled into my rather lovely and quaint room, ready for a deep and rejuvenating sleep.

The delectable aroma of breakfast made by my host, Houssaine, awoke me. I was able to share a tasty, filling meal and delightful conversation with fellow guests who were visiting from England.

With limited time until I would meet up with my new tour group, and with several historic sites closed at the time due to recent earthquakes, I decided to just stroll the town and go where the spirit moved me.

Known as “The Door of the Desert,” Oarzazate (the city, along with its namesake province) is interwoven with centuries of trade with neighboring regions at its Kasbah of Taourirt, decades of French colonialism, and the lingering influence of the movie industry. This desert “Oallywood” has served as cinematic duplicates for Ancient Rome, Jerusalem, Macedonia, and lands from Game Of Thrones.

Along my stroll, directly across from the Kasbah, I encountered the Cinema Museum. Full of actual sets used in numerous films and television productions, this historic if humble collection made for an impressive and entertaining visit. It was equally entertaining and eerie to walk through the sets and peer at detailed costumes and props with virtually no other visitors.

Tragically, only two months after my visit, a fire tore through many of the sets during a filming shoot. The museum is now closed indefinitely. And the pictures you see in this post are some of the last taken of historical cinematic props and paraphernalia now turned to ashes.

Walking a different way back to Kozyhome, I encountered so many things that had an air of familiarity mixed with their own distinctiveness that made me feel like I was truly in Morocco: an outdoor market, a few murals featuring some well-known American actors and directors, red stops signs with Arabic lettering, cartoon characters painted on the facade of a school, and a gas station with prices in Moroccan dirham.

With the heat of the day reaching its apex, I retreated back to my lodgings to refresh myself. I prepared my belongings and got ready meet up with my new travel companions to start my official adventures through Morocco.

03/09/2024

Any of you travelers interested in 3 Months of CLEAR PLUS for FREE?

Earlier this year, I signed up for CLEAR for expedited security processes at the airport. As a thank-you, they've offered free trial memberships to whomever I'd like to share the code with. So, I thought I'd share it with all of you!

CODE: SGP24N1D508DC

Follow this link to sign up, and use the code to get a free, 3-month trial membership to CLEAR PLUS, and feel free to share this information (offer valid though 9/6/2024):
https://enroll.clearme.com/enroll/?l=SGP24N1D508DC&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_10923666

To be clear (no pun intended), I'm not officially recommending this--just making this offer available to you if you want to try it. I receive no benefits for sharing this code.

I put all the legaleze from the email I received down below, in case you want to check that out. Be sure to do your due diligence, read through the terms and conditions of membership, as well as any other info on the CLEAR website to help aid you in your decision.

And....journey well!

*Terms apply. Limited time only—offer valid through 9/6/2024. Available only to new CLEAR Plus Members. After your free trial, CLEAR Plus Membership renews at $199/year. Family Member accounts renew annually at $119 each per year after initial free trial term and are billed to the Primary Member account. Cancel anytime before your free trial ends.
Questions relating to privacy and the protection of your personal information should be sent to [email protected]

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06/08/2024

LIFE UPDATE

Sorry to have been MIA for a bit. It’s been a tough few weeks.

Early Saturday morning, after a decade-long struggle, my dad—Pablito “Pabs” Tejada—passed away peacefully.

My mom, her sister, and I were here with him. And while we are jumping from wave to wave of so many different emotions, we truly are at peace and comforted in knowing that my dad no longer has to suffer and that his soul is free and unburdened.

We were blessed to have so many dear friends and family come to visit with him this week for one last time, including his last surviving brother Mario, two beloved priests who both were able to perform the Anoiting of the Sick (double blessings for Dad!), as well as our friends/family from the Good Shepherd High Noon Choir (one of three long-term choirs he conducted throughout his life). My dad was their conductor for nearly 20 years, and he shared not only his love of music with them but also so many pearls of wisdom.

My dad had lost the ability to speak in April, but we knew he could hear us and understand us. He would blink in affirmation or comprehension of something. He’d squint if he disagreed with or didn’t like something. And he’d wince when he was uncomfortable or in pain.

The choir members, in their typical true and loving fashion, gathered around his bed and sang to him. I only had the presence of mind to capture the last bit on video from the far side of the room.

But afterwards, one of my choir uncles told my mom that as they sang, a tear ran down from my dad’s right eye. I know my dad had heard them, felt their love, and knew it would soon be his time.

Please keep my family in your prayers or feel free to reach out to us. I never realized how much that could actually mean to a person, but the messages of love and prayer we’ve been receiving all week have been deeply consoling.

Thank you!

💟💟💟 Pablito Tejada 💟💟💟
July 9, 1942 • August 3, 2024

25/07/2024

To me, it’s always the right time to think about Paris, but now, with the Opening Ceremonies taking place this Friday in France’s capital city, it’s seems like the appropriate moment to ponder the enduring magic of the City of Light.

While I’ll be taking time later down the road to share some of my own recent explorations in my favorite city, I think you’ll find this lovingly written article by journalist Roger Cohen (with lively photos by James Hill) a great resource. It leads you on a journey through the city, highlighting how the city has transformed itself for its third hosting of the summer Olympic Games (the last time was exactly 100 years ago, and the first time was in 1900), and trying to capture what makes this ever-changing yet ever-the-same city endure.

And it will give you some great ideas for places to explore the next time you visit Paris!

The Games will usher visitors through France’s history, with events at the Grand Palais and Versailles. But, as host, Paris is also becoming a new city.

24/07/2024

🇮🇹 Ciao!
Check out this quick compilation video of the bits of the two performances the Poway High School Symphony Orchestra at Chiesa di Santa Maria Corteorlandini in Lucca and at Chiesa di San Paolo entro le Mure (St. Paul within the Walls) in Rome.

We were thrilled to have so many city locals attend and were delightfully surprised to have international attendees show up—either because they saw flyers posted in the cities or because they were drawn in by the music they heard coming from inside the churches. There were even people in the audience from as far away as Australia!

All of these talented, hardworking student performers gave it their all at both shows, and they truly deserved the standing ovations they received.

Since this compilation just has snippets, I’ll be posting longer segments of some of the pieces they performed in the comments below. I hope you take a moment to enjoy a bit of their concerts!

13/07/2024

On our visit through the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, I let my mind and eyes wander toward things that caught my attention rather than what I was “supposed to look at.”

Museums are curated by experts who design the routes, rooms, and placement of objects that you are meant to pay attention to. Guides pick specific things for you to focus on so they can help you better understand a narrative they’re hoping to enlighten you with, to gain new insight into an artwork, an artist, a culture, a history, or a broader story.

But how do *you* curate your own journey through a given place? Do you pick a theme (i.e., doors, landscapes, people, shapes, specific colors)? Do you focus on things you already know or lean into what’s new to you?

As with many things in life, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s just an interesting thought exercise.

At the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, I found myself gravitating towards sculptures, architectural and artistic details, and people.

I hope you’ll enjoy taking a look at my curated captures. 📷