The Silk Road: China to Kyrgyzstan

Myanmar: Places & (mostly) Faces

The Lost Travelers of Vang Vieng

  • The Road to Inisheer: Life on Ireland’s Aran Islands

    The sound of waves breaking, children chatting in Gaelic and our ferry motoring away faded out quickly under the thick layer of mist tasked with keeping the island hidden from outsiders. We, and a handful of…

  • Amsterdam: Kings, Windows & Cats

    A cafe with a resident cat is simply better than a cafe without one – a fact one learns in Amsterdam. Some questions are impossible to answer, like what is your favorite band…

  • Railay Beach: A Climber’s Escape

    As the cliffs grew closer, we saw the outline of large, lithe creatures scurrying beneath the overhanging rock, their skin shiny and firm. I gasped as one fell, caught just feet…

  • Angkor ruins

    Cambodia: Ancient & Easy

    Think morning motorcycle rides and seafood on the beach. Though often overlooked, aside from the famed Angkor temples, Cambodia’s slow tempo, open spaces, solid infrastructure and friendliness, will win you over. Island hopping, ruin…

  • The Taj Mahal

    Three “Must-sees” Worthy of the Hype

    I have never laid eyes on the Mona Lisa, despite having visited Paris numerous times. My childhood home is 40 minutes from San Francisco, yet I have never stepped foot on…

  • If Walls Could Talk

    If walls could talk, these are the ones I’d invite to coffee. They’ve soaked up blood spilled by the Khmer Rouge, housed prisoners, hidden secrets, raised families, divided and protected. In each case,…

  • The City of Cologne

    Cologne: Where Cool Meets Authentic

    One of my favorite cities of all time is also one of the easiest to overlook. Is it a must-see? Probably not. Is it beautiful? Not particularly. Is it packed with…

  • Ladakh Feature

    Ladakh: The Slower Side of India

    Tibetan flags, weathered faces and muted colors greet you upon arrival. After a few weeks of moseying around Ladakh’s dusty mountains life takes on an addictive simplicity that steadies the pace, deepens…

  • The Manali–Leh High(way)

    Google Manali–Leh Highway and the first couple of hits you’ll find include dangerousroads.org and thrillophilia.com, the sort of websites whose hyperboles I tend to take with a grain of salt. As…

  • Horse-drawn carriages in Bagan, Myanmar

    Myanmar: The Good, The Bad & The Paradoxical

    “How was Myanmar?” Pause. Awkward pause. Four years on and I’m still not sure how to answer that question. The country? Beautiful. The locals? Welcoming. But the trip itself… Sometimes the…

  • Varanasi in the Flesh

    When I think of Varanasi I think of bodies. They’re everywhere, some living, some not. The shores of the river are where they gather. If the city had a heartbeat, the Ganges…

  • The Beauty of Doing Nothing in Paris

    Angela Carter once said that “Cities have sexes. London is a man, Paris is a woman, and New York is a well-adjusted transsexual.” There’s no doubt about it — Paris is…

  • “The Light” and Other Reasons to Visit Norway

    The summer light in Norway is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s different. It’s a half awake, dreamy kind of light — soft, with a lazy hue. Blue at midnight, yellow…

  • Dinant Belgian Beer Tasting weeekend

    Belgian Beer Bliss in Wallonia

    I’ve never heard of a sweepstakes offering plane tickets to Belgium as the grand prize. No one is anti-Belgian of course — what’s there to hate? But Spain, Greece, France, Austria,…