Get to know the world - and yourself along the way!
Shortly before the border to Thailand, I visited the quaint colonial city of George Town, whose cityscape had been shaped by the continuous arrival of people from a wide variety of ethnic groups and religions over the last few centuries. I realized I had missed …
When I’m traveling alone, one of my favorite activities is the photo walk. My only goal in this pursuit is to find interesting photo subjects that reflect the spirit of the moment as well as possible. Kathmandu was one of the most exciting places for …
The Indonesian island of Java is rich with volcanoes, the most popular by far is Bromo, a rather small but quite active crater in the middle of the Tengger massif. It is immediately recognizable by its broad plume of smoke, which makes it look ominous. …
As I traveled through Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, I was occasionally surprised at how young many of the monks I encountered were. At the time, I imagined that a life of abstinence, discipline and devotion had been chosen for these youths at an early age, …
Just before the Chinese New Year, a large part of China’s population throughout the entire country is usually on the way to their hometowns so they can spend the two most important weeks of the year with their families. At that time, when I was …
Apparently northern Europe was introduced to its love for coffee when the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna in the 17th century. Today, the Western world seems to be returning the favor by bringing its owne coffee culture to Turkey. Much of the Turkish middle class …
I came to appreciate the front gardens of many Southeast Asian homes during my travels, simply because they are so rich in lovingly designed details. Whether decorated with special plantings, handwritten signs, Buddha figurines, spirit houses, or various offerings, regardless of the wealth of the …
The Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur were built when there were few skyscrapers over 400m high. I still remember my excitement in the late nineties when these slender 452m tall steel buildings were finally completed, with the impressive bridge connecting the towers 172m up. Sixteen …