Travel – Page 25

Thoughts & Sayings (October 2012)

Here are some thoughts and sayings I posted on Twitter and/or Facebook in September. To my knowledge, I made these up (for better or for worse). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the write!

Encouraging Words

1. Keep on peddling, but don’t oversell.

2. I may bite my tongue if I say something tongue in cheek.

3. I have champagne tastes but a beer budget and had to trade my flute for a mug.

4. If technology were a pet, I would send it to obedience training.

5. After two failed attempts, I’m back to fail again.

Twisted Words

6. One person’s junk is another’s Chinese vessel.

In Its Own Write

7. I’ve turned a page and am headed in the write direction.

Holidays & Events

8. On Labor Day, America rests while the rest of the world labors.

9. Today at the political party convention, the candidate will deliver this month’s speech of their life.

Random Musings

10. Overheard at a linguistic convention: “I speak Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.” “Yes, but what about Finnish?”

11. I flew to the other side of the world to get away from jetlag, but it followed me.

12. My bark is worse than my bite, but I do bite.

13. Disruptive technology: The day Twitter shakes up the 140-character limit by varying it.

14. When I moved to the Southern Hemisphere, my world turned upside down.

Click here to read the previous batch of Thoughts and Sayings.

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

Alexander the Salamander

Welcome to the debut of the World Adventurers for Kids Series! The first book in this series for children is Alexander the Salamander from authors M.G. and Alex Edwards. The series features more of the kinds of travel stories you’ve come to enjoy from World Adventurers told in a way that children ages three to nine will find entertaining and educational. Filled with illustrated photos and moral tales, these books will take children all over the world.

In Alexander the Salamander, a salamander named Alexander living in the Amazon joins his friends Airey the Butterfly and Terry the Tarantula on an unforgettable jungle adventure. Set in the Amazon region of Brazil, the story teaches children the importance of listening to teachers and other authority figures. Co-authored by M.G. Edwards and his son Alex, the story was inspired by their 2008 visit to the Amazon.

Alexander the Salamander is now available to purchase as an e-book for just US $0.99 from these booksellers:

Amazon.com (United States, $0.99 for Kindle)

Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom, £0.77 for Kindle)

Amazon.de (Germany, EUR 0.89 for Kindle)

Amazon.fr (France, EUR 0.89 for Kindle)

Barnes & Noble ($0.99 for Nook)

Scribd ($1.00 for PDF)

Smashwords ($0.99 for iPad/iPhone/Kobo/Sony)

Click here for other booksellers

Come visit Alexander’s home in Rio Cove on the banks of the Amazon River. You’ll meet Alexander, an amiable salamander who likes school and playing with friends but is curious about the world beyond Rio Cove.

You’ll meet Alexander’s good friend Airey, a butterfly who loves to soar and explore as she zooms around the cove and can’t wait to get back to flying whenever she’s in class.

Then there’s Terry the Tarantula, the new kid in town who’s ready to make new friends and is fearless when it comes to seeing the world.

Join Alexander, Airey, and Terry on an adventure as they set off to explore what lies beyond Rio Cove in the Amazon rainforest.

During their 2008 trip to the Amazon, the authors stayed at a remote resort accessible only by boat, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle. There they were struck by the immense greenness of the Amazon region. The serpentine network of rivers cut through the rainforest, delivering life-sustaining water to thirsty foliage. Exploring the rainforest on foot and by boat, they visited a monkey sanctuary, met indigenous villagers, fished for piranha, took a walking tour through the dense forest, and went on a daytime river cruise and a nighttime boat cruise to watch nocturnal wildlife.

Young Alex, who marveled at a world he had never seen before, inspired his dad to share the experience in a story that brings the rainforest to life for children of all ages. Alexander the Salamander captures the spirit of the Amazon in a fun and educational way.

Join Alexander, Airey, and Terry for an amazing Amazon adventure! Get your copy of Alexander the Salamander at Amazon or other booksellers today for just $0.99, and stay tuned for more books in the World Adventurers for Kids Series.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the fantasy, thriller and travel genres. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain; a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories; and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex, who co-authored Alexander the Salamander. Alex is an elementary school student and avid reader.

You’re the Adventurer–South Africa

Welcome to an interactive online story. You’ve been a spectator reading my travelogues, but now it’s your turn to go on your own adventure! Immerse yourself in the story and make key decisions by choosing from among several options. Your selections could make the difference between a great trip or a travel disaster! Read and make your choice, and stay tuned as your travels unfold. If you haven’t read the story from the beginning, stop reading this post! Click here to begin your journey.

You’ve decided to take a trip to South Africa, a land of African and western cultures, scenic beauty, and wild safaris. Congratulations! Now the fun begins. You have to plan your visit.

You think of all the places in South Africa where you might want to go. Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and Kruger National Park are the first ones to cross your mind, but there are many more you’d probably like to see if you had the time. You’re going to travel a long way to visit Africa, but you can only take a couple weeks off and have to plan your schedule carefully to make the most of your time. An Internet search of popular travel destinations reveals more potential sites, from the Drakensburg Mountains to Blyde River Canyon near Kruger. The long Garden Route that follows the Indian Ocean along the southern coast sounds gorgeous, but two weeks isn’t enough time to drive it and tour other parts of the country. You decide to focus on two locations where you’ll spend most of your vacation.

You write down your travel preferences and think about how to fit them into your itinerary. You definitely want to experience the South African culture you saw on television during the 2010 World Cup and decide to visit a city for a taste of the local culture. Which one? Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria are the most obvious choices. You jot them down.

You also want to see some of the country’s natural beauty and draw up a list of some of South Africa’s natural wonders, including Blyde River Canyon, the Drakensburgs, and the Cape of Good Hope and Table Mountain near Cape Town. Poring over a map of the country, you see them scattered in different places. You can’t visit them all; you’re going to have to narrow them down and choose. Connecting the dots, you notice that many are clustered near Cape Town and Kruger.

A safari is a must-do on your list. You enjoy watching wildlife programs on television and want to see African game animals for yourself. The thought of seeing lions, rhinos, elephants, and other wildlife is exciting. Observing animals in their natural habitat certainly beats visiting them in a zoo!

So you have to choose where you want to go. You don’t have enough time to see everything. You whittle your list down to three options: Capetown; Johannesburg and Pretoria; and Kruger National Park. You can only visit two of them. Which ones do you choose? Choose your preferred destination.

After making your choice, click here to continue the story.

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M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. His books are available as an e-book and in print on Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.