Patagonia Feb 2015
Patagonia in the southern part of Chile was one of the more difficult places to get to, especially from Asia. I flew from the States to Santiago and connected to Punta Arenas and then it was another 5 hour drive into Torres del Paine national park where my hotel, Explora, is located. It is an […]
Gardens by the Bay Feb 2015
Gardens by the Bay is built as a continuation of the goverment’s commitment to transform Singapore into a “Garden City” with lush greenery and outdoor spaces for the people. The total area of the park is 250 acres by the Marina in central Singapore. The most visited parts of the park are the two Conservatories, […]
Grand Palace & Wat Pho Bangkok Dec 2014
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho both sit on the Chao Phraya River in the heart of Bangkok. The Grand Palace is currently a museum open to the public but there are still royal offices handling official work here. The present King does not reside in the Grand Palace but it is still used for official […]
Hua Hin Dec 2014
Hua Hin is a seaside resort on the Gulf of Thailand. It is about 3 hours by car south of Bangkok. It became a popular beach retreat for wealthy Thais after King Rama VI and King Rama VII built summer residences here in the 1920s. We went in December and the temperature was very comfortable […]
Lamanai Oct 2014
As mentioned in a previous post, Caracol and Lamanai are the two most important political centers in Maya Belize. Unfortunately, Caracol was closed during our trip because there was a shooting there killing a police officer only a couple of weeks before our arrival. With Caracol closed, we decided to go to Lamanai even though […]
Barton Creek Cave Oct 2014
Barton Creek Cave is a remote cave formerly used by the ancient Mayans as a burial and ceremonial site. It is a river cave about 7 km long with a single entrance. We paddle into the cave in a canoe, and on the day of our visit, we were the only ones in the cave. […]
Xunantunich Oct 2014
From Yaxha in Guatemala, we continued to the border of Belize by car. The Maya civilization spread across what is now Belize in around 1500 BC, and flourished here until about 900 AD. The main political center in the middle and south of Maya Belize was Caracol, whereas in the north, the most important political center […]
Tikal & Yaxha Oct 2014
Tikal, situated in the El Peten region of Guatemala, is the ruins of the capital of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the ancient Maya World. It remained somewhat prosperous until the decline of the Maya civilization around 900 AD and was eventually abandoned completely and consumed by the rainforest surrounding it. Tikal was […]
Antigua Oct 2014
Antigua was founded in the early 16th century and was the colonial capital of Guatemala. It is less than an hour away from Guatemala City. Antigua is an outstanding example of Spanish colonial architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The city is filled with colonial-era mansions, churches, and convents. We […]
Burgundy July 2014
We drove from Eze to Burgundy passing by beautiful lavender fields in Avignon and Sault and sunflower fields near Beaune. Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Cote d’Or area in eastern France. The annual wine auction of Hospice de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France. Beaune is surrounded by some […]
The Culture of Ruinpubs in Budapest July 2014
Ruinpub is the exact translation of its Hungarian name. Ruinpubs are key to the nightlife of Budapest. Not only are they very popular among the local youth, they are also becoming a tourist must see. They are normally opened in derelict or abandoned tenement houses and factory buildings or at empty lots with old furniture […]
Budapest – Pest side July 2014
Across the Danube on the Pest side of Budapest is where most of the population live and work. It is also where the most notable landmark of Hungary, the Hungarian Parliament, is located. It is currently the largest building in Hungary and the highest building in Budapest. There are guided tours of the building but […]
Budapest – Buda side July 2014
Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and has often been nicknamed Paris of the East. It is the combination of the hilly Buda and the flat Pest across from each other along the Danube River, which together with Obuda, were united into a single city in 1873. Buda and Pest are linked by a […]
Warsaw July 2014
Warsaw is the capital of Poland and was completely destroyed during World War II. Almost every building today dates to the postwar era with very little remains of the old structures in the restored Old Town. Nearly every European architectural style can be found in Warsaw from gothic to renaissance to baroque and neoclassical. Warsaw […]
Wieliczka Salt Mine July 2014
Wieliczka Salt Mine is often visited in conjunction with Auschwitz because of their close proximity. It is one of the world’s oldest salt mines that continuously produced table salt until 2007. Now tourists can visit this subterranean world of labyrinthe corridors, chapels, and saline lakes inside this old mine.