Travel

“Kladno Tales” (Kladenske Povidky) is a collection of short essays taken from the views and experiences of an American high school English teacher living in the town of Kladno, a former industrial town located 20km from Prague in the Czech Republic.

He writes about local people and places as well as about his teaching experience and his relationships with the students. Kladno Tales is very entertaining light reading which gives the reader an idea of what it’s like for a man to integrate into a foreign society, become accepted as a local and after some time feel more at home in the foreign society than in the one in which he grew up.

In the mid 1980s, a young African-American student searches for a cultural foundation that is at risk in her home state of Washington: Finding a man of color, with character, a higher education, and a love for his family, is a challenge she must face while studying abroad as an exchange student. Her desire to not give up on her cultural background leads her to a country in Africa; once there, she discovers that her cultural heritage is at stake, and the need to find justification, in a race of people, that emerged through a period of time in history, that many would rather forget, is pushing her into a world that tries to understand the world that she comes from. Stephanie, the main character, will keep you on the edge of your seat, as she makes a concerted effort to do what is right for her people back home, in an effort to save that which is dieing, the Black American male. By traveling throughout the country of Kenya, she must come to grips with the fact that finding the perfect man in Kenya may upset an already delicate balance of life.

This is a true story of a journey and a miracle. On December 6, 2005, in the offices of two separate medical experts, I was informed that my days were numbered. I was advised to take more medicines, and get admitted into the emergency room. If not, there was little the doctors could do. By then, I was already on numerous medicines for countless years. I knew that my body and stomach would not permit the intake of any more medication. All my life, I had lived my way. So, I signed a liability release form and decided to die my way. I surrendered to HIM. On January 7, 2006, I was down to just one medicine. I was on my way to full recovery.

It is a fun, happy, and romantic story that is culturally educational, medically astonishing, spiritually uplifting, and studded with travel experiences.

The journey was long and arduous, but never dull. It was scenic, adventurous, thrilling, and fulfilling. It took me through two masters degrees, two marriages, two children, two 10+ year long divorces, a few acquaintances, several friends, some companions, a career, several hobbies, the 7 continents, 5 oceans, 4 rivers, several islands, many debilitating illnesses, several awakenings, noteworthy self realization and a miraculous recovery. Most importantly, it helped me find answers to two very important questions. Is happiness a medicine? Is there one medicine whose purpose is to eliminate the need for all other medicines? The answers to both of which are a resounding – Yes.

Perhaps, that is why I got nicknamed AN – Amazing Nupur.

This book contains many of the author’s actual journal entries and accounts that tell of experiences in mountain climbing, trekking, and other outdoor adventures done with fellow lovers of mountains and trails. The entries include climbs and treks that took place in Glacier National Park in Montana, the Cascades, the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian Rockies, New England, Scotland, volcanoes in Mexico, the Himalayas in Nepal, and other places as well. There are many photographs throughout the text.