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In every interesting life, there are moments of sheer absurdity. How, for example, do I find myself at age 24, in a Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-thru at 10pm at night, in rural Saga City Japan, on a bicycle, wearing a samurai mask (complete with bald head and top knot)? Absurd! How do I find myself […]

When I say, “I grew up in a museum,” as I did in my last post (Wow Place #210), the implication is that museums are clean, neat and well-organized places, with an emphasis on “Don’t Touch That!” And that’s true for most museums I’ve been to around the world. Exhibits are labeled. Protective glass has […]

I grew up in a museum. Okay, not a *real* museum. Ask anyone, however, who came to visit my house in the 70s and they’ll tell you, “That home was clean with a capital C.” My Mom, Shirley, insisted that everything be in its place – like a museum. God forbid she would allow her […]

“I see it, Donica. Right there at the top.” “Where, where?” “To the right, just below the snowline. It’s the ark, honey! It’s definitely the ark!” That conversation never happened, because 1) My wife, Donica, wasn’t there with me in Turkey 35 years ago (we didn’t even meet until 2012!), and 2) I didn’t actually […]

Not coming from a religious tradition, I’m always a bit uncomfortable when visiting places of worship. What are the rules? How should I dress? Where should I sit? Can I take photos? Such is my feeling as I enter the Golden Temple in Bylakuppe, not far from the South Indian town of Mysore. Everywhere I […]

Before listening to an interview with journalist Michael Easter, author of the Comfort Crisis, it never occurred to me that travel is like a Las Vegas slot machine. How so? Well, slot machines – as wells as many of our social media programs – are designed to take advantage of something called the “scarcity loop.” […]

From the glamor and excitement of the Roaring Twenties to the allure and mystery of Arthur Conan Doyles’ Sherlock Holmes series set in gloomy Victorian England, themed treasure hunts are a fun way to bring history and fiction to life. The Roaring Twenties, in particular, lends itself perfectly to a themed hunt filled with fascinating […]

There’s a lot of boring stuff at the British Museum. Is it sacrilege to say that about one of the greatest museums in the world? I can almost imagine the scene at airport customs. “Uh, Mr. Blum, we can’t let you into the country. Your visa has been revoked due to your disparaging remarks about […]

I’m always struck (and pleased) to learn that a town I’m visiting has a “sister city” somewhere in the world. For example, my current town of residence, Santa Rosa, CA has, as its “sister,” Jeju Island in South Korea. How cool that there’s a connection between two very-different cities, way across the world! I do […]

Travel, like life, is full of unexpected mysteries. There was this time, for example, on a trip to India that I spent half a day at the post office, trying to send a package home. The package went from person to person, station to station, getting dressed up like a bride for her wedding. First […]