Asia

The Famous Hanoi Train Street

I visited the energetic city of Hanoi, one of the most popular holiday destinations, last summer. Hanoi Train Street is one place that will never disappear from my travel memories. I had put Train Street at the top of the list of to-do attractions while planning the...

Constantinople, not Istanbul

Today's Istanbul is a vibrant and modern city built on top an ancient past. What's the past beneath, you ask? Maybe you remember these lyrics from the early days of rock'n'roll: Take me back to Constantinople No, you can't go back to Constantinople Now it's Istanbul,...

Sailing over the Myanmar’s Plains of Bagan

Bagan Archaeological Zone More than 2,200 eleventh to thirteenth century temples and stupas pepper the forty square miles of Myanmar's plains of Bagan. Why are so many of these graceful, exotic structures clustered in this Southeast Asian country once known as Burma?...

Moved by the Majesty of Isfahan:
A Pearl in the Persian Empire

Imam Square The city of Isfahan is fondly referred to by Iranians as "half the world," for it has as many beauties as in half of the whole world. Situated on the Zayanderud River, it is an ancient city, at one time the capital of the Persian Empire. In my trip to...

China: Fiery Foot Massage!

A Different Kind of Massage I once associated massage with relaxation "? the smell of sandalwood incense; meditative sitar music; healing hands kneading tension away. However like most things I encountered during my time in China, my experience at Green Willow...

Climbing Mt. Fuji: An Unforgettable Experience

Since I moved to Japan over a year ago, climbing Mt. Fuji was on the top of my travel bucket list. Fuji-san, as it?s called by locals, is Japan?s tallest peak. It?s an active volcano 3,776 meters high that can be spotted up to 300 km (186 miles) away. (Source). Making...

Thailand’s Koh Chang

Bang! Bang! Bang! After an interval of 5 seconds, I caught it again -- the brief and strange metal banging noise that sounded like two pieces of sheet metal hitting each other. I could hear nothing else than that. It was peacefully quiet and hot like in the middle of...

The Monkey Temple of Kathmandu

It didn?t take long for me to lose track of how many people had asked me, ?What are you going to do in Nepal if you?re not planning to go trekking?? I was determined, however, to prove that there was plenty to do. After landing in Kathmandu and a meal of fried buffalo...

A White Christmas in North Korea

I had first visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in October 2016 as a day trip from Dandong in China. I've always liked to explore places where few others dare to go, so I was very excited about my first trip (not to mention a little...

The Hidden Cave of Thakhek, Laos

Near Thakhek, Loas The area around Thakhek, Laos, is notorious for it's limestone karst mountains and beautiful caves. There is the Buddha Cave; a small cave halfway up a cliff face that was full of more than 200 Buddha statues when it was discovered just a few...

Stargazing in the Philippines

Calamansi is a small, round citrus fruit with an aromatic, sour bite. It is served on the side of Philippine meals as a condiment; in a tiny bowl along with small chilies. You squeeze the diminutive green fruit over the chilies, crushing them and adding vinegar or soy...

Following the Beatles in India

Back in 1968, music sensation "The Beatles" visited an ashram in Rishikesh, India. During their time there, they wrote over 50 songs and brought Eastern influences to the mainstream like never before. Fifty years later, in September, I had the chance to...