China: Hangzhou
April 1998. 上有天堂,下有苏杭 [Literally: up there is Heaven, down here there are Suzhou and Hangzhou] dreams On my famous first trip to Shanghai...
Morocco: Fez Souk
December 2019 Fez was high on my list of places to visit in Morocco, but I will admit to some trepidation before going. Fez was also...
India: Jewtown, Kochi
Synagogue, Jewtown, Kochi. February 2010 ... it was believed that the earliest Jews in India were sailors from King Solomon's time. It...
UAE: Hard Rock Cafe, Dubai
Festival City, Dubai. May 2016 bar reviews As I have mentioned in the past, I came to know about Hard Rock Cafe in Kuala Lumpur [see:...
New Zealand: Milford Sound
January 1993 After our exhilarating (and scary) flight to little Milford Sound Airstrip [see: flight to Milford Sound], we were...
Zimbabwe: baobob tree
Victoria Falls area. July 1998 The first baobab grew next to a small lake. Taller and taller it grew until it started noticing the other...
Malaysia: Han Jiang Ancestral Temple, Penang
Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, Penang. December 2005 Who are the Teochew? You cannot miss the building. Nestled among rows of old Indian...
Laos: cruising on the Mekong
Pak Ou Caves Pak Ou Caves Village Traditional house Hotel 1 - best thing was the view Hotel 2 The ferry across to Thailand Arrival in...
UAE: four days in Dubai
Ibn Battuta Mall - Chinese court Ibn Battuta Mall - Egyptian Entrance Ibn Battuta Mall - Persian Lobby. October 2019 [from FB posts:...
Qatar: Calligraphy on the Corniche
Doha. March 2015 The Corniche is the best place to stroll in Doha on a lovely day. I walked it up and down a few times during my short...
UAE: nation building
Al Fahidi Fort was built in several phases. The oldest tower was built around 1787, and is believed to be the oldest building in Dubai...
Malaysia: Penang Clan House
Khoo Kongsi, Cannon Square, Georgetown, Penang. December 1985 your local chamber of commerce The system of kongsi was utilized by...
USA & Canada: Alaska and Yukon - planes, ferries, buses, and trains
July-August, 1993 Upon reflection, if there was one ongoing source of travel inspiration for me, especially in my younger days, it was...
Canada: Rockies
Lake Moraine. July 1993 you can never go back Before we started our big Alaska Adventure [see: Alaska and Yukon - planes, ferries,...
Czech Republic: České Budějovice
Solnice Restaurant July 2019 another beer hajj From Prague I wanted to travel to a "real" Czech city. České Budějovice was an obvious...
Slovakia: Bratislava
Old Town Castle. July 2019 Bratislava or Preßburg is a little corner of Central Europe that I ended up visiting twice (three times if...
Mexico: Cabo San Lucas
October 2011 Hotel California On the cruise from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, we ended up in Cabo San Lucas longer than expected due to...
West Bank: Banksy
West Bank/Israel Border Wall Iconic Banksy near Bethlehem. June 2018 I actually never heard of Banksy until I travelled to Israel. I...
Italy: Baia
December 2018 After visiting Lake Avernus [see: Lago d'Averno], one of the traditional entrances to Hades for the Romans, I took the...
Beirut: buildings and turmoil
Ottoman era French colonial hasty bomb repair War aftermath. June 2019 Beirut is old. Referred to in ancient Egyptian tablets dating to...