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It’s hard not to feel conflicted about zoos. On the one hand, how great is it to get up close to our amazing animal friends, many of which are nearing extinction? The best zoos offer a vital conservation and rehabilitation service, keeping animals safe from poachers and other human/environmental threats. On the other hand, doesn’t […]

Although I’ve never considered myself an adrenaline junkie, I have certainly done some adventurous things in my life. Climbing Mt. Fuji. Trekking the Himalayas. Walking in the Costa Rican rainforest. Etc. At the time, my adventures never felt particularly “dangerous;” they were just fun things to do while visiting the host country. Heck, the guidebook […]

Wow Place #304: Freedom Trail, Boston Visit most any European city and you’re bound to stumble upon its “old town” – a small, central area with plaques, statues, hundreds-of-years-old buildings and cobblestone streets. You have to give credit to the community planners in these towns who made a conscious effort to preserve the rich history […]

Some years back, I had the opportunity to visit the amazing ruined city of Petra in Jordan, featured so spectacularly in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The Great Temple, in particular, is an amazing sight: a classical façade cut directly into the rockface, complete with columns, arcades and pediments. And then I […]

I’m not sure if I like India anymore. These are words I never would have imagined uttering back in my 20s and 30s, when India represented the height of exoticism for me. I first traveled to India in 1988 as part of an 11-month, around-the-world trip. It wasn’t a country I was planning to visit. […]

While living in San Francisco some years back, I was a regular patron of a hole-in-the wall Punjabi restaurant in the Tenderloin district that served tasty Indian food for bargain-basement prices. Was it the best food ever? Of course not? But how can you argue with $1 naan? Who cares if there were cigarette burns […]

A few years back, I was lucky enough to spend a few days wandering around Rome, and what struck me was how these *amazing* ancient ruins were right there, smack in the middle of town. How could the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Forum exist cheek by jowl next to restaurants, luxury apartments and office […]

“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 […]