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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 […]

Located off the tip of India, the Maldives are a submerged mountain range whose tips create more than 1,000 little islands and coral reefs. Just getting to one of their island resorts is a breathtaking experience, looking down at all of the ocean beauty from the window of a seaplane. The island of Soneva Fushi […]

The spring of my college graduation, I stumble onto a campus screening of The Razor’s Edge, a moderately successful Bill Murray movie based on the book by Somerset Maugham. It wasn’t a “great” movie. Murray has a tendency to do schtick when he should probably be playing it more seriously. Nevertheless, the film hits its […]

“Mom, Dad, I want to go to Paris.” Looking back, I sure had some chutzpah at age 20, asking my parents to let me go on an exchange program to Paris. This wasn’t something you did in our family! Traveling abroad. Spending money recklessly. Stepping off the academic path. But I desperately wanted to go. […]

Like a treasure hunt, travel is all about puzzle solving. What is the best way to get to that castle? How do I ask for a napkin in French? Who do I talk to about replacing my lost international driver’s license? But there are some puzzles that defy explanation or solution. Like the whistling squirrels. […]