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TIKEHAU, The Tuamotu Islands There鈥檚 nothing quite so blue 鈥� vibrantly, rivetingly, blindingly blue 鈥� as the blue of the lagoon on Tikehau, an hour鈥檚 flight from Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Unless you鈥檙e suspended above it, looking down.

PORTO, Portugal 鈥� Smoke hung heavily over this hilly city, broken by flickering flames, when I mustered my courage, plunged into the crowd and brought down my bright-green hammer on a stranger鈥檚 head. 鈥淏om Sao Joao!鈥� 鈥� 鈥淗appy St.

"I hope it rains soon so we can go in the pool.

NAPA, Calif. It was the second time in an hour I鈥檇 been asked a question I wasn鈥檛 expecting. 鈥淎re you celebrating anything special during your stay with us?鈥� I glanced at Mike, and then at my left hand. 鈥淣o, not particularly.

LOS CABOS, Mexico 鈥� The southern tip of the Baja California peninsula looks good and lively these days, but let me remind you how bad it was. Hurricane Odile struck Los Cabos late Sept. 14, howling at 200 kilometres per hour.

BROWN BLUFF, Antarctica Go ahead.

A farmer was turning his field with two oxen yoked to a plow; a flock of seagulls flapped behind. The landscape was a soft, rolling green, dotted with fluffy sheep and yellow gorse.

I鈥檓 all about travelling efficiently, and a great way to do that is by savouring local cuisine as you soak up the splendor of the place you came to see.