Features

Border Stories

San Diego native Jeff Spurrier has visited Tijuana's tourist circus countless times. Now he's on a Reality Tour and the sites beyond Avenida Revolucion are sobering.

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Pura Vida

When life as a teacher at Escuela Otto Kopper takes yet another wild and embarrassing turn, Cara O'Flynn learns to deal with it Costa Rican-style

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Lesson at the Laverie

In a Chamonix laundromat, Jim Benning learns that actions speak louder than words. Especially incomprehensible foreign words.

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Anthem Soul

James Brown tunes seep through walls in a Syrian hotel. Rolf Potts listens in and finds new meaning in "Sex Machine."

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Exits and Entrances: An Independence Day Pastoral

American Flag over Pearl Harbor iStockPhoto

Amerikanetz Joel Deutsch joins immigrants from the former Soviet Union for a Fourth of July picnic in Los Angeles

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Europe from the Passenger Side

kentucky, usa Photo by Michael Yessis.

He began hitchhiking on a Basque motorway. By the time Jeff Biggers reached Denmark, the power of a well-timed shout of "Euskadi," and other secrets of the road, had been revealed.

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Dietary Aid Mission

Grape jelly Photo illustration by Jim Benning.

A boy in Hong Kong missed his grape jelly. Maura Weber flew halfway around the globe to bring it to him.

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Early Morning with the Orange Army

Crazed supporters of the Netherlands' national soccer team visited a San Francisco pub to watch them play in Euro 2000. Michael Yessis joined them.

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Surviving Paradise

Visiting Fiji in the midst of a coup, Jim Benning stumbles over the line that divides stimulating anxiety from real fear. He has the T-shirt to prove it.

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Me and Bruce in Barcelona

Michael Yessis went for a walk in Spain and stumbled upon a Bruce Springsteen concert rehearsal -- and an international band of devotees.

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We are Vikings!

We are Vikings! Photo illustration by Michael Yessis.

Rain, freezing temperatures and "glaciers the size of New Jersey" were among the obstacles Suzanne Schlosberg faced as she pedaled with the Road Cycling Club of Reykjavik, Iceland.

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Ciao, Bella

The rains came to Siena, and Sarah Schmelling fell ill. But Signora Franci stayed at her side, bringing velvet slippers, tea, and lessons in basic human kindness.

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Havana Homecoming

Havana Homecoming Photo courtesy Leslie Berestein

Her family left Cuba when she was 3. Decades later, Leslie Berestein visits her old neighborhood, knocking on doors, searching for her Cuban self.

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