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As I walk down the rocky path toward the remains of the Library of Celsus, an impressive, two-story building façade of crumbling stone columns and pediments, I can almost imagine what life must have been like here in ancient Ephesus. Built in 125 AD, the library was funded by a Greek, Tiberius Julius Caesar Polemaenus, […]

Like all kids, I used to hate long family car rides. Anything over 2 hours was sheer torture for me, especially as this was pre-Internet and I couldn’t just plug into a game or movie to distract myself. No, we had to talk or, if conversation failed, play games. I particularly liked car bingo, played […]

When thinking about river trips, I hearken back to the rafting trip I once did on the American River near Sacramento, CA. This was a rollicking, high-speed adventure with rocky rapids threatening to toss you out of the raft at any time into the cold, roiling water. The fact that one of the rapids was […]

Religious statues confuse me. When you pray in front of a statue of your god, are you asking the statue, itself, to bless you, or the god that the statue represents? Some religions, of course, don’t even have artistic representations of their gods. And then there’s Buddhism, a “religion” based on the teachings of a […]

In days of yore, it wouldn’t be uncommon for someone to say to you, “Top of the morning!” In India, by contrast, at some point you might just experience a “Top of the bus” morning. Here’s how it happens to me. Arriving at the bus station in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, I’m disappointed to learn that there […]

Everyone has their pilgrimage. For some, it’s going to Graceland to see the home of Elvis Presley. For others, it’s stopping by Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris to view the burial place of Jim Morrison. For me, it’s Sarnath, India, the site of the Gautama Buddha’s first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Just a few clicks […]

To be clear, I’m not a drug or alcohol user these days. It’s not that I’m a prude; I’m just practical. As a fairly busy person, I find it hard to rationalize losing precious morning work time to recover from a hangover. But there was a time however… It’s January, 1998. After a full day […]

Why do torturers always smile? Is it just a part of the job description? “Small massage school is hiring people who enjoy inflicting pain.” There’s certainly no doubt that my Thai masseur is a happy, happy man as he digs his bony elbows into the small of my back. It’s even worse when he starts […]

Wow Place #136: Osaka Expo Grounds I collected a lot of things when I was a kid. Coins. Baseball cards. Firecracker Labels. Bottle caps. My crowning glory, however, was my stamp collection. I particularly liked big, bright, picture stamps commemorating exotic places and events. Some of my all-time favorites were the stamps celebrating the 1970 […]

Back in the mid-80s while teaching English in Shimonoseki, Japan, I lived in what the locals called a “1 DK” apartment. That means a bathroom, a hallway with a kitchen, and one “living room” with six tatami mats – about 250 square feet total. When it was time to sleep, I pulled the futon out […]