Namibia may be a bit short on tourist destinations, but there’s one spot that any aspiring naturalists will want to hit. On the Western coast, near the border with Angola, you’ll find a barren stretch called the Skeleton Coast that’s our current best guess as to the origin of humanity. Depending on your scientific leanings, a pilgrimage may be in order…

It’s not exactly the Garden of Eden. In fact, it’s one of the most inhospitable places in Southwestern Africa, making it all the more impressive that it gave rise to the first members of the human race. Coastal conditions blanket the coast with dense fog almost year round, while heavy surf makes it almost inaccessible to smaller boats. At the same time, a seabound wind steals away with most of the moisture. The only landmarks are shipwrecks and bleached whale skeletons left over from its time as an outpost for the whaling industry. Namibian Bushmen refer to this stretch of coast as “The Land God Made in Anger,” while Portuguese sailors making the trek to India named it “The Gates of Hell.”

In other words, we’ve got some very tough ancestors. It’ll take a fair bit of bushwacking to get out there, but for a determined soul it should be well worth the trip.

On February 20th, 1943, a farmer working outside San Juan Parangaricutiro plowed into his field and brought up a stream of ash and molten rock that would become the Parícutin volcano. It didn’t flow fast or hard, but over the next eight years the lava swallowed up the field, the farm and two nearby towns. The displaced people rebuilt the town ten miles to the southeast as Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, but this church is all that’s left of the original town. The rest was simply reclaimed by the Earth.

Done right, a European tour should include a bit of cultural awakening. That usually means Monet at the Louvre and Velasquez at the Prado, but it’s worth digging up a few more obscure cultural artifacts on the way.

For instance, it may be time become more acquainted with Hergé. Although anyone who’s leafed through the Tintin books will do a bit of gushing at the name, it’s hard to find a full retrospective on the man without leaving the states. Being one of the foremost comics artists in Europe wasn’t the sort of thing that could get you your own museum…at least during Hergé’s lifetime.

Luckily for Tintin fans, times have changed, Hergé’s admirers have become more influential and the artist has gotten his own museum on the outskirts of Brussels. And while his cowlicked creation is given his share of space, there’s also a few rooms devoted to Hergé’s talents as a graphic designer and painter. It’s certainly off the beaten path—both culturally and literally—but it should be worth the trip.

If waking up at the crack of dawn doesn't phase you. If the lure of fish so fresh its juices seem to burst forth right in your mouth drives you to tackle on the Tokyo subway/roadway megagrid in a half-awake daze. If a virtual armada of carts, forklifts, and various oddly proportioned vehicles careening madly through the world's largest seafood warehouse appear to be on a collision course with you every 15 seconds or so, then you've found your special place in the universe...Tsukiji Market.

Leaving our hotel in Asakusa around 6am we used our JR Railway pass to travel to a station that looked nearby this sprawling confluences of warehouses, auction rooms, loading docks, and retail stalls and shops. Well, looks are deceiving in Tokyo. The first 10 minutes of the "10 minute" esitmated walk was taken up entirely in the undergorund maze of passageways, shops and tunnels which burrow throughout central Tokyo.  An heroic effort for a couple of designers who's usual workday begins Ten-ish. Emerging from what looked like a likely propect for placing us within shouting (make that yodelling) distance of the market we were confronted with a further maze of elevated walkways, construction zones, merging roadways, freeways, and nary a sign in English. Lacking a GPS we walked in the direction that appeared most promising. Fortunately the word "Tsukiji" is known by just about every denizen of this sprawing city, and Japanese are extremely conscientious and effective in giving directions. This is one form of Japanese politeness that served us very well throughout our trip as we were lost at some point virtually every day.

Arriving at a completely unprepossessing entrance we followed a heavily travelled roadway into the cavernous wearehouses, which displayed all manner of seafood products, both living (and desperate to get the hell out of there) and very recently deceased. Activity is taking place everywhere; buyers roam through small stalls offering stheir specialties. Tuna weighing a few hundred pounds are cut up with every manner of power saw imaginable. Swordfish nearly as large are similarly dismantled, along with varieties of sea creatures that would require a hefty icthyology textbook to identify. The stalls are bisected by a grid of narrow lanes, each just wide enough for some form of motorized transport,which seems to appear suddenly and dangerously from nowhere. One spends considerable time watching for these vehicles, as they seem to lack brakes or the drivers seem to prefer martial arts types of evasive manuevers when approaching each other (or pedestrians). Lastly I'd note, as many other tourists have, that Tsukiji is a working market. These people are working for a living, not Disney tour guides; they don't appreciate being asked for photos and certainly don't look with favor on people who want to pose with their 10k slab of sushi grade tuna. Give them some breathing space and try to keep the tourist bits to a minimum.

We were too late for the auction, which is probably just as well. I've watched video of the Chicago Board of Trade and don't think that a bunch of merchants screaming in Japanese at that hour would have been such a great start to the day...or maybe they quietly and politely hold up little signs; it might have been education, actually.

After navigating the warehouses for an hour or so we began our seacdh for the perfect sushi. having no reference guide whatsoever we passed numerous stalls and small shops, each serving their specialties at rather exhorbitant prices, for a poor American at least. We did notive that there were two tiers of shops. One group tended to use plain Kanji characters on the outside, had little decoration or signage, lust a few tables or a counter, only, and a very limited range of offerings. Prices at these establishment were rather high, ranging from $26 for a regular Sushi combination to abotu $35 or even $40 for chef's choice sushi. The other group displayed a far ranging menu, had lots of glossy images, and prices that were about 25% lower than the other group.

We had the feeling that the understated and less glitzy shops were the "read deal" while the brighter and more "commercial" ones were usurpers. Turned out we were right. After wandering around and being unable to decide whether to plunk down far more than we wanted to spend for breakfast, a shop owner (of pots and pans and other cooking items) emerged from his stall with a map showing all the restaurants in the market. He pointed out a few which were the oldest and most highly regarded shops. He told us the that the cheaper establishments had all come in during the last 30 years or so and were of inferior quality.

Not hesitating we made a beeline for the oldest restuant in Tsukiji, dating from 1860 (whose name I have no recollection...see photo and print it out next time you come). It looked like a movie set for a Japanese potboiler set in....you guessed it....the oldest sushi resurant in Tsukiji (or maybe in all of Tokyo for all I know). Plainly decorate, spare furnishings, calligaphy, dim lighting, and a clientele who were all friends with the sushi chefs from at least 30 years back. No English was necessary; you just pointed to A, B or C. The fish was perfectly cut, absolutely fresh,  so juicy it seemed to explode when bitten into. The tuna  (maguro) was particulary amazin in this regard. It was also slightly sweet, with a silky smooth yet firm texture, and absolutely no rubberyness. All in all we came away from this hallowed shrine feeling that it was the one great ($26) investment we'd made during this entire bear market.

The constant river Seine flows through the heart of Paris, a meandering muse that divides the city into two distinct halves, the Rive Droite (the right bank, or northern half) and the Rive Gauche (the left bank, or southern half).  Most travelers find themselves strangely attracted to one side or the other and remain fondly enamored for the rest of their lives.

Are you gauche or droite? Answer the questions below and find out.

1. On the flight to France you are dreaming of the perfect Parisian dining experience. You see yourself:
    A. Seated in an elegant restaurant having a fabulous five-course meal
    B. At a sunset picnic overlooking the river Seine or under the Eiffel Tower, savoring a bottle of red wine

2. You arrive in Paris, but your luggage does not! You need some new clothes, and fast. You grab some euros and go:
    A. Right to rue Saint-Honoré to the houses of high fashion and haute couture like Louis Vuitton and Chanel- after all, you are in Paris!
    B. To browse at street markets, boutiques, and small student shops on the Boulevard St-Michel- maybe you can find a deal!

3. Ah, a night on the town! You can’t understand much French, but you know that body language will help you comprehend the story of the:
    A. Ballet at the opulent 19th century Opera Garnier
    B. Comedy show in a restored art house theatre near Odéon

4. Before the show, you want to celebrate cocktail hour a la française. You are found:
    A. With a glass of champagne in the swanky bar at the Ritz hotel
    B. Sharing a carafe of table wine at a sidewalk café

5. You’re hopping on the train for a day trip. You take the:
    A. RER C to Versailles, the magnificent gilded chateau and expansive gardens built by France’s greatest king, Louis XIV
    B. Train from Gare St-Lazare to Giverny, the small cottage home and tangled gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet

6. Which other city do you dream about visiting (or LOVED when you were there)?
    A. London
    B. Prague

7. After an inspiring week in Paris, you only have one afternoon left to take in an art museum. You take the Metro to:
    A. The Louvre, for a quick foray into the largest art museum in the world; enough great artwork for a lifetime of afternoons, but you can still see the classics in a former royal palace: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Delacroix, Michelangelo and Raphael
    B. The Musée d’Orsay where you head to the third floor to stare in wonder at an amazing array of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, all housed in a converted train station

8. Paris is the capital of style. Which words best describe yours?
    A. Classy and refined with a touch of glamour
    B. Bohemian and unique with just a little funkiness

9. If you left Paris without doing this, you would be crushed:
    A. Strolling down the Champs-Elysées to the dramatic Arc de Triomphe
    B. Sitting in a sidewalk café with a coffee or a glass of wine, watching the world swirl around you

10. And finally, imagine yourself as a soon-to-be-famous Parisian living three hundred years ago. Who are you?
    A. The future King or Queen, in line to take the throne and rule the country
    B. The next big avant-garde artist, soon to be discovered for your innovative style

What is your score?

If you answered mostly A’s: You have an innate appreciation for the finer things in life and are drawn to Paris for the glamour, elegance, style, and romance it epitomizes, and you are in good company. You will love the RIGHT BANK, just as kings, queens, nobles and celebrities have for centuries. Stroll down the tree-lined boulevards, relax in the garden of the Palais Royale, imagine yourself with a chic address in the Place des Vosges, and enjoy the pomp, grandeur, and sophistication of the rive droite.

If you answered mostly B’s: You are attracted to the unconventional and the offbeat and are interested in experiencing the real Paris. You belong on the LEFT BANK, drinking a café express at the tables that countless writers, artists, and philosophers have occupied before you. Get lost in the winding streets of the Latin Quarter, explore the art galleries of Saint-Germain, plan for a picnic in Luxembourg Garden, and immerse yourself in the free-spirited energy of the rive gauche.

***DISCLAIMER***
Of course, no city can be broken down into two definable parts, not the least Paris. There are dozens of neighborhoods in this cosmopolitan city, each with their distinctive feeling and moods; even a certified leftie can find themselves drawn to the royal Tuileries Gardens, and a rightbanker may become captivated by the boisterous Mouffetard Market. So don’t define yourself or the city so easily, instead, travel toward what thrills you, explore all that you can and you will always grow into a more enriched human being!