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As a kid, I remember gawking at the slides my grandparents brought back from their trip to Hong Kong and China: glittery images of dragon boats, Chinese junks and golden hotels. I found myself yearning to visit the exotic Orient, to immerse myself in the sheer wonder of it all. The years passed, of course, […]

I’ve always been spooked by pods. It started with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a 1956 sci fi/horror film where aliens abduct people and grow back exact replica replacements – in pods. Then, of course, there are the Alien movies, where not only are people captured and suspended in stringy/gooey pods (for later consumption), but […]

Indiana Jones ruined me. There’s this scene, where Indy is searching through an Arab bazaar, desperate to find his “girlfriend”, Marion, who’s been kidnapped by the bad guys. Certain that she’s been hidden in a woven basket, Indy starts pulling off the lids of every basket he can find, until finally he’s faced by an […]

One of the pleasures of travel is being surprised – having your assumptions completely turned on end. My partner and I arrive in Agricento in western Sicily on a warm spring morning, hoping to see a few meager Greek ruins. After all, the Parthenon is in Greece. All the other well-preserved Greek temples must be […]

28 Lampu no Yado There’s a reason why we’re all so fascinated with time travel. It’s just so cool to imagine going back in time and experiencing a bygone era with modern eyes. If your time machine was set for “Japan, 500 years ago”, you might well end up at Lampu No Yado, an ancient […]

Say what you will about Myanmar (formerly Burma) and its often upsetting government, but the country sure has its share of Wow Places. In Wow Place #9, I mentioned the dazzling ruins of Bagan. But they’re not even the best sight in Myanmar. In my opinion, the country’s wow place to end all wow places […]

Bali is an island of beautiful beaches, and one of my favorites is Sanur, southeast of Denpasar. The white sand extends for miles, palm trees swaying in the sultry wind. When the tide is low, you can walk along a lovely reef, ogling the tiny fish and sea crabs cavorting in the tidepools. Sounds like […]

Perhaps the most famous pilgrimage trail in the world is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I’ve never been there. I have, however, hiked Japan’s less-famous but equally reverent pilgrimage route, the Kumano Kodo. Tucked away at the bottom of Wakayama prefecture a few hours from Osaka, the Kumano Kodo is 1000-year-old network of forest […]

It’s a scene from Lord of the Rings. Sunrise on a cold, dusty plain. Horseman riding by in the mist, multi-colored blankets wrapped around the shoulders. And in the distance, the grey plume of a volcano, rising in a tight column from a smoky caldera. I must be in Mordor. The only thing missing are […]

When my brother Brian first moved to Israel, I must admit I wondered if he was making the right move. “I mean, Bri, isn’t it dangerous there?” As it turns out, Israel is pretty much like everywhere else. You stay away from the risky areas and otherwise just go about living your life. The same […]