under spybird's wing

Welcome to spybird.

If you enjoy travel as much as I do, you know that inside tips, contacts, friendly advice and a savvy voice of experience can enhance one's journey immeasurably.  Suggestions we receive from friends, other pilgrims - even complete strangers - often prove very useful, even transformative.  The man in the Old Ghetto section of Rome who held a delicious pastry up high, pointed behind him and shouted, "Just follow your nose;" the monk in Bangkok who led me to my meditation teacher; the Costa Rican eco-lodge guest who turned me on to a killer (and reasonable) octopus dish at a Greek restaurant in Manhattan. 

The stunning gardens at Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte outside Paris.
Thanks to a tip from our friend B.

Accurate, practical information is a traveler's best friend. It affords us the luxury of having a clue, which, in turn,  gives us the confidence to relax and enjoy our experience. Such information is meant to be shared, and where better than The Blogosphere - the new meeting place where "our people" can share facts, perspectives, and experiences in the travel world. 

So here is spybird. Informaton about traveling, transportation, things to do and see, people to meet, special places and moments. But we're not just the facts, ma'am. Spybird is also about the traveler's mindset, how we think.  Spybird's mission is to stimulate ideas and insights about journeys far and wide, inside and out. Above all, it aims to whet your appetite for new adventures. 

All of the entries are based on first-hand knowledge, and all facts are verified. The site is mostly the work of John Monterisi, an ESL teacher, recovering litigation attorney, working/recording musician, lover of tasty snacks and drink, and intrepid traveler since the age of 9. But I have friends and acquaintances, also with itchy feet, whom I hope to coax (with food and alcohol if necessary) to blog here also.

By the way, spybird is my second blog. During a 3-month teaching tenure in Java, Indonesia earlier this year, I published twenty-one posts called monterisi in mondo indo, which I hope you will visit. Here is a link: http://monterisiinmondoindo.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for looking in here. I hope you will stop back often.