A video about finding the subject for a feature I wrote for the July issue of Mountain Bike magazine.

Bottoms up!: A new shot bar offers colorful drinks with sexy names.

It’s been two and a half years since I was last in Medellín, and the transformation that I first wrote about is even more noticeable with the number of restaurants, bars and hotels that have recently popped up. Right before going, I kept hearing about the new wave of violence that has doubled the city’s murder rate since 2008. And I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous. You see, even Colombians (or in my case, the daughter of Colombians) know that the price of life in Colombia can be cheap. But I was pleasantly surprised. And I’m not the only one that seems to like it here. The gringos have descended in full force. One cabbie lamented the number of men that come here—not to see Botero’s famous gordas—but to hook up with the ladies.

All the news that’s fit to hang.

Who knew hawking newspapers could be a dangerous job? Check out this guy’s precarious set-up as he hangs the day’s headlines for all to see. The two fellas on the left aren’t doing such a good job at spotting him.

It’s a plane. Wait. It’s my plane.

I was recently in El DF and was shocked by how big it really is. We were flying over the city for a good 40 minutes before we touched ground. Even cabbies act like they’re heading to a foreign place the minute they’re asked to go from one part of town to another. “Do you know how to get there?” was a familiar question. “Um, no,” was the usual response. And despite the addition of new bridges, rush hour is still a nightmare in Mexico City. Still, I managed to see a lot and enjoyed every minute of it—except the traffic, of course. Stay tuned…

I really enjoyed walking the boardwalk in Sandwich, Cape Cod, last weekend. Built over salt marshes, creeks and dunes, the original structure was destroyed by a hurricane in 1991. Locals were able to donate planks to rebuild it. If you look at the photo below, you’ll notice that they’re all individually engraved (messages run the gamut from declarations of love to inspirational thoughts).

The boardwalk leads down to Town Neck Beach and is especially worth a stroll in the evening, right before the sun sets. On my jaunt, I stumbled upon a couple of girls trying to catch crabs with chicken thighs on a string; a family of good-looking blondes having their portraits done by a pro; and lots of dog-walkers.

September and October are peak feeding months for whales as they continue to accumulate blubber in preparation for the winter. Yesterday, I boarded the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruise in Cape Cod for a chance to see the aquatic mammals in a nutrient-rich area in the Gulf of Maine called Stellwagen Bank. A naturalist leading the group told us to watch for blows and body parts as the boat idled in the water. We waited with bated breath for about 10 minutes but nothing happened. Then the captain went a bit further and just when I thought we wouldn’t see anything, I turned around in time to catch a humpback whale in mid-breach. After that initial lull, we spotted the tails, fins and sides of about a dozen whales. There was even a calf in the bunch. I couldn’t keep up with them as I ran from one side of the boat to the other after each collective “ahhhhh.”

Calle 13 in Colombia.

Grammy Award–winning duo Calle 13 recently ventured across South America in search of the indigenous music, culture and spirit that still thrives in parts of the continent. They documented the whole experience in the film Sin Mapa, which follows the Puerto Rican reggaetoneros to Peru’s La Rinconada, Colombia’s Sierra Nevada, Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca and other far-flung locales. “I understood how much the indigenous love the earth,” said lead singer Residente of the trip. Sadly, I’ve yet to see any of the spots these guys visited but I hope to one day make it to Colombia’s ancient Ciudad Perdida (or Lost City). In the meantime, I’ll have to live vicariously through Calle 13.

“Do you want to see where the devil left his mark?” asked my dining companion at The White Hart Inn in Blythburgh, a small English village that is best known for being the home of Holy Trinity (a.k.a. “Cathedral of Marshes”), a church that dates back to the 15th-century. That’s where Black Shuck, an East Anglian demon dog, is said to have terrified the congregation and left his scorching claw prints on the door. And though I was lured over by the legend, I was more impressed by all the beautiful details that went into building this parish. The Blythburgh Jack-o’-the-Clock (above, left) dates back to 1682 and announces the entry of the clergy; each bench end features a little carved figure (above, right) representing deadly sins, corporal acts of mercy or seasons; the choir stalls depict the saints and apostles (below are St. John the Baptist, St. Matthew, and St. Matthias); and the detailed roof is decorated with big wooden angels. It’s a sight to behold if you’re ever in this part of the country.

Inspired by Italy’s most famous waterways, California’s Venice Canals may be located only a few blocks away from the circus scene that is Ocean Front Walk but it’s a world away. Ahhh, so serene and so not cheap when it comes to real estate. No wonder the hippies haven’t been back since the 1970s.

As far as toilet-side views go, this has to be one of the best. This photo was taken from room 1023 at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh. You can see the Allegheny River; the Roberto Clemente Bridge; and PNC Park Stadium, home of the Pirates — beats reading a magazine.