“Ayubowan.” It was the first word we heard spoken when we walked through the doors of our hotel in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo as we continued our round the world adventure. And it was accompanied by our greeter’s two hands lightly pressed together in a prayer pose followed by a little bow and … Continue reading
Author Archives: Darlene McCarthy Barnfield
Paradise Found
Mark Twain certainly knew beauty when he saw it. And during one of his frequent trips to the place I had called home for over a decade he keenly felt the tug of its beauty and character returning to Bermuda time and time again, and calling it “that happy little paradise.” As I actually lived … Continue reading
Desert Dining
“Are you having an affair, ” is the question I always ask my husband when he does something exceptionally nice for me like he did this Valentine’s Day. We are in the Persian Gulf and dining in the desert as we make our way round the world. On the menu were: Dates, stuffed flatbreads with goats … Continue reading
First Class Fantasy
Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters They say money can’t make you happy. But, really, they are wrong. The absolute luxury of boarding the first class cabin of an Emirates Airbus 380 surpasses any flight I have ever taken. And that’s before we have even left the tarmac. The interior of the plane looks more like a Bentley than a … Continue reading
Round The World
Just prior to any occasion requiring gift giving my loving husband would always inquire of me: “What would you like for your birthday or Christmas or anniversary?” To which I would always respond in exactly the same way: “I would like to go around the world.” A request that consistently fell upon deaf ears. Until … Continue reading
Christmas Joy Or Not
Lurking right under my nose amidst all the gaiety of this past holiday season was human evidence that cleverness and cash can’t always capture the perfect gift. Try as we may though, on December 24th my sister and I combined a delightful visit together with a last minute shopping spree. A twofer of sorts which … Continue reading
Looks Can Be Deceiving
I’ll admit it did look a bit embarrassing the moment a worried British Airways official approached me during breakfast in the airport lounge. “Madame, I am sorry to inform you that we are not allowed to serve alcohol before 8:00 in the morning.” “I should say not,” I thought, but wondered why she was telling me this … Continue reading
WILL POWER
“I’m making out a will,” I announced casually during dinner with an old friend. “Humm,” was her response. Prior to making this remark I had not given much thought to what kind of reaction such a comment would yield, but upon actually making the pronouncement I realized I had really expected much more. Like, Oh my … Continue reading
CHAIN LETTER LUNACY
(m.lovethispic.com) “Dear friends,” the … Continue reading
BAUBLE BONANZA
I never “win” anything. Not lottery fortunes. Not golf tournaments…well, some, but not many. Although the latter is the result of talent and grit, the lottery simply comes down to dumb luck. And given the law of averages, one would think that at some point you might get lucky. I mean even a blind squirrel finds … Continue reading