Hurricane Isaac Gave Me Floating Coconuts

I feel like I did back in my college days when I was a windsurfer. I used to chase hurricanes down for a thrill ride. I’m still adventurous, but if I did that today I’d probably break something. And now, one of those storms found me. The wind wasn’t so bad, but we got 15 [...]

Her Healing Oasis in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains

When I first visited Ivey Harris, she was living in more or less a half shack/half house that she had lived in all her life. She inherited it from her grandmother, and it’s on a nice little piece of property. Ivey Harris grew up in this half shack, half house. Now, thanks to Healing Herbs [...]

Only on Bali

I hadn’t realized how relaxing Bali was for me last time I was here.

I visit a lot of sites when I travel, and I like to see as many people and as much of the local culture as I can wherever I go. But Bali has a different speed to it that you don’t experience anywhere else.

No matter how fast my friend Westi drove his truck or how many appointments I had, it never felt rushed. I never felt pressed for time. I sort of forgot about that until I came back these last few days.

I had a completely different sense of time when I was in Africa. Like I didn’t have enough of it to do everything I wanted. I stayed there longer than I had planned because I kept meeting more people and discovering new places and traditions I wanted to study…

Jolt of Strength From Jamaica

I just got back from spending more time with my good friend and colleague, Ivey Harris, at her home in Cornwall Barracks, high up in the John Crow Mountains of Jamaica. I’ve written about Ivey before… she’s the last of the traditional herbal healers in Jamaica’s Maroon culture.

Dr. Sears and Ivey Harris in Jamaica

In fact, Ivey is the seventh generation of her family to practice this nearly lost art. She’s a direct descendant of Princess Nanny, the first leader of the Windward Maroons. Princess Nanny was a renowned herbal healer, and is Jamaica’s only national heroine.

At just five feet tall, Ivey’s a tiny bundle of pure energy. She’s vivacious but has this calm way about her. And she always welcomes me with open arms every time I make the trek up the treacherous mountain roads leading to her remote home.