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“We have only one day in Bangkok, Donica. What should we go see?” “What are the options, Dave?” “Well, we’ve already been to the Temple of the Dawn, the Reclining Buddha, the Golden Mount, Khaosan Road and Chinatown. Want to visit any of those places again?” “Nah, let’s go someplace different.” “Hmm, didn’t you say […]

Wow Place #298: Wave Organ, San Francisco, CA One of my favorite kinds of story involves people, places or object that are “hidden in plain sight.” This phrase can mean a lot of things. It can mean: hidden but easy to find. It can mean: something obvious but easily missed. The wizards in the Harry […]

Wow Place #297: Mahanakhon Restaurant, Bangkok, Thailand I don’t often write about restaurants in these posts, but this place definitely deserves mention. Set in 100-year-old, teakwood, colonial house just a hop, skip and a jump from the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Mahanakhon might be the best vegan restaurant in Bangkok, if not in all […]

Wow Place #296: Snake River Rafting, Boise, Idaho As far as river rafting goes, you could do a lot worse than the Snake River in September. The air is cool and clear; snow-capped mountain peaks tower over narrow, tree-lined gorges. It’s a spectacular setting, only marred by the fact that, this late in the season, […]

Wow Place #295: Amer Fort, Jaipur India I was talking with a friend in Japan, Mie, the other day about air conditioning. When I mentioned that my home in California doesn’t have any, she was shocked. “How can you live without AC?” I assured her that in our area, unlike in Japan, it doesn’t get […]

No offense to Daniel Craig, but can we all agree that Sean Connery was the best James Bond? There have been seven Bonds so far, if you include James Niven who did a comic version of the character in the original Casino Royale (1967). They were all great in their own way…even the much-maligned Timothy […]

Change—how we love it! As a big change for 2025, I’m splitting my blog into two sections. 1. I will, of course continue writing travel posts like this one, featuring WOW places I’ve visited and related advice for personal transformation. 2. In a separate post, I’ll be sharing ideas I’ve gathered (from over 30 years […]

Wow Place #292: Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India I have a confession to make. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve sort of lost my passion for traveling in India. It was different when I was younger, when the whole world was my oyster and I couldn’t believe I was allowed to visit an exotic place like India, […]

Wow Place #291: Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco, CA Nostalgia is a funny thing. We have a tendency to look back fondly on the “golden years” of our favorite cities — the 1930s, 40s and 50s – a more glamorous time when men were guys and women were dolls … when hard-boiled, dressier, pre- and […]

Wow Place #290: Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thailand When I first met Thongsai Monk, high atop Wat Arun, I didn’t completely trust him. Why should I? I’m 24 years old, visiting Thailand for the very first time, and this guy in an orange robe asks me to come home with him. Don’t jump to conclusions here […]