I first became interested in Suriname after Tanja Gromala told me about it. It was after reading Karl Penta’s “Have Gun Will Travel” (the hardcover edition is pictured below), however, that I realized an investigation into Suriname as well as French Guiana by The Velvet Rocket was now compulsory. Here is how the jacket of Penta’s … Continue reading
It has been a while – too long – since Team Ames and Team Boers pursued an adventure together. So, it was with great pleasure that I, accompanied by my Italian, met up with Brandon and Amanda in Brazil. I’m a big fan of bees… and honey. Turns out my close family has the same … Continue reading
What can I say that has not already been said? I’ll just tell it like it is. The journey to Auschwitz… It’s just as gloomy as you would expect it to be. When Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939, the Germans occupied Krakow and the smaller towns around it for the duration of … Continue reading
1915 – Built in Scheveningen as a sailing trader/fishing vessel 1917 – During World War I she is reported missing in the English Channel 1925 – Found abandoned in the Congo River by a Scheveningen fisherman who brings her back to the Netherlands 1928 – First engine installed 1926-1940 – Operates mostly as a cargo … Continue reading
Something that should probably be on everyone’s “must have” list… The gun guitar. This one was in the Museo Historico Policia in Bogota, Colombia. I apologize for the bad glare in the pictures, but in a building brimming with war-hardened police officers I did not think it would be prudent to smash the glass on … Continue reading
I didn’t quite know what to expect out in the barrios of Caracas, but I knew I wanted to visit them. I did know that the crime statistics in Venezuela are astronomical, and especially so out in the barrios. And I knew that most of the supporters of Chavez come from these neighborhoods. But, that’s … Continue reading
Behind the tiny Venezuelan beach village of Playa Chuao is a massive banana plantation. For some reason this fascinated the Italian and me. And so, when we disembarked from a fishing boat we had hired to take us to Playa Chuao, we walked right past the beach and the small village and into the banana … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 