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When traveling, there are “wow!” places, and then there are “whoa!” places. In the former, you’re astonished and delighted that this place exists. In the latter, you’re astonished but also slightly discomfited. Why does this place exist? Nagoro Village, Japan, deep in the heart of Shikoku’s Iya Valley, is definitely a Whoa Place. At first […]

Here’s another chart I like from Neil Pasricha’s “The Happiness Equation”: The chart above speaks to the “flow” state made famous by social scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is essentially that deep enjoyment you get when you are totally involved in life, such that time slows down for you. Flow happens when the challenge level of […]

In his excellent book, “The Happiness Equation,” Neil Pasricha includes this nifty graphic: His point is that some activities require more thinking, and others need more doing. If the activity requires neither thinking nor doing, then you’re just in space – you’re pretty much lounging on the beach. The upper left box suggests your main […]

Growing up middle class in the small San Francisco suburb of Millbrae, California, population 25,000, I never really imagined myself traveling to exotic locations or climbing on ancient ruins a la Indiana Jones. Neither of my parents had traveled abroad at that point. There just wasn’t a precedent in our family for world exploration. Even […]

When are you at your best? I’d argue that many of us are at our “most alive” when we’re on the road, traveling. Some travel qualities that come to mind are: curious, adventurous, spontaneous, joyous, present, resilient and open to wonder. That’s why I started this blog – to explore how we show up when […]

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When you think of ancient ruins, what comes to mind? The Parthenon, perhaps? The Pyramids of Giza? Petra in Jordan? Well, here’s another amazing ruin to add to your list. One that hardly anyone knows about! The Cave Ruins of Ellora crouch near the modest town of Aurangabad, India, about 200 miles NE from Mumbai. […]

Thailand is a country of glittering temples.  They’re everywhere – in vast complexes, down non-descript alleys.   You can’t throw a cell phone without hitting a temple.  (But why are you throwing cell phones in Thailand?!!)  Most of these structures are pretty darn marvelous.  I love Thai temples!   Not surprisingly, when I first heard about the […]

When I first heard that there were these super-cool, mosaic steps in San Francisco’s Sunset District, I was a bit skeptical.   I mean, what’s so “wow” about mosaics?   A few stairs decorated with colored glass – big deal. Well, the 16th Avenue Tiled steps (actually located on Moraga Street) ARE something special.  Leading up to […]

  It’s 1984. I’m 21 years old, on my first trip to Europe, determined to visit all the artwork I’d read about in my college art history textbooks. The problem:  my favorite art is so spread out!  The Mona Lisa is in Paris.  The Guernica is in Madrid.   Botticelli’s Venus is in Florence.   If only […]