Bohemian Traveler

People had warned me about the traffic in Hanoi. I thought I was prepared to take it on—but I wasn’t. It’s not big trucks or bumper-to-bumper cars, but motorbikes—and lots of them. The day we arrived, our host Jenny, took us out into rush hour traffic on the way to a bar to meet her [...]

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This Post is part of a series. Read: Cruising the Yangtze Day 1: Leaving Chongqing and Cruising the Yangtze Day 2: The Three Gorges Before touring the Three Gorges Dam, we would have to go through the most complex ship lock system in the world. It is a two-way series of five locks which brought [...]

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This Post is part of a series. Read: Cruising the Yangtze Day 1: Leaving Chongqing The day before all I could think about was whether the fog would clear out by today. This would be the main event, the Yangtze’s magnum opus: The Three Gorges. Our cruise had little purpose without visuals of the gorges. [...]

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A view of Chongqing from the Yangtze. Our ship pulled out of Chongqing the night before at 22:00—slowly leaving the bright lights of this megacity at the confluence of two great rivers. We had explored Chongqing by foot, up and down its steep topography, for a few hours during the day. If you can see [...]

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One of the best day trips from Old Dali, in China’s Yunnan Province is a bike ride along the shores of the great Er Hai Lake. A less-traveled and newly surfaced road connects a string of Bai villages between Cai Cun and Xizhou. If time permits, continue along to Zhoucheng and Sha Ping. There exist [...]

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I’ve seen Pandas before—in the San Diego Zoo when I was a child and the couple on loan to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. But they’re always so far away it’s hard to get a good view. At The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base outside Chengdu, China, they are not. For hours I watched [...]

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What happens when the Chinese are charging 190 CYN ($30 US) to enter the Three Pagodas in Dali, China? I walk around the entire walled complex, take a bunch of pictures from afar, and refuse to pay the outrageous entrance fee. True, the Three Pagodas are probably the biggest draw for tourists in the region. [...]

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  The following is a guest post from Jeff Dobbins of NYCxplorer.com New York City is one of the world’s most exciting destinations.  It can also be one of the most expensive, with an “average” daily hotel rate of $276, and dinner at Masa restaurant going for $585. But there are plenty of bargains that [...]

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Boats on Castara’s beach Tobago has got some seriously chilled-out and naturally beautiful beaches. I few years back I explored the northwest coast of the island, impressed with the lack of tourists and relaxed vibe of the seaside villages. Here were my favorite stops: Castara and Englishman’s Bay What’s cool about Castara is that it’s [...]

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Liverpool is arguably one of the most interesting cities in England. It has a fascinating and turbulent history as a great world maritime center. Liverpool has seen great immigration from Ireland and abroad, immense emigration to the New World and witnessed a period as a crucial stop in the slave trade. Due to its first-rate [...]

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After two days of walking around Macau, we decided we’d had enough of our makeshift dorm room accommodation in Augusters Guesthouse. Even though there wasn’t too much more to see, we could have lingered longer in the city if our sleeping situation was more comfortable. We were enjoying Macau—a very different place than Hong Kong. [...]

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Terrapins Hong Kongers have a slight obsession with terrapins. That’s cool, ‘cause I like them too. Find the friendliest turtles in Hong Kong Park, near the tramway to Victoria Peak, a great vantage point to seeing the skyline of Hong Kong. Or hike up the path yourself in 1 ½ hours. Signs Signs in Hong [...]

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During my first two days in Hong Kong I was not at all impressed. Much of this opinion was based on the Bohemian Traveler bias that mega-malls and international shopping brands are uninteresting. But I didn’t get discouraged and I didn’t give up on Hong Kong. As I stayed longer and explored the city with [...]

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Philadelphia is making some huge strides in recent years on becoming a foodie destination. Here are some of my latest favorites from the City of Brotherly Love: Breakfast Darling’s Diner is good anytime of day, not just for breakfast. In fact it’s open 24 hours/day (and has a full bar). They are known for their [...]

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Today, Saratoga Springs, New York is known as a summer getaway, famous for its horseracing culture. The track opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. For six weeks every summer, the intensity of the horse racing lasts from dawn until dusk daily. For [...]

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During the first Friday of each month, the Old City art district in Philadelphia has an open house for its galleries. Each of the galleries is open to the public, many with beer or wine on hand, as well as art vendors who spread themselves along the sidewalks. It’s one of the best cultural experiences [...]

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Just north of Nuweiba on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is a crescent-shaped strip of cafes and guesthouses along the Red Sea called Tarabin. I had just come from Jordan by ferry and was in need of some chilled-out space to relax—even better if that place had sand and sea. I stayed at Soft Beach, which has [...]

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The Egg and Corning Tower of the Empire State Plaza Empire State Plaza The grand vision of Nelson Rockefeller, the Empire State Plaza was constructed between 1959 and 1976 at a cost of $1.7 billion. The 40-block zone displaced thousands of residents but is credited with the revitalization of downtown Albany. Some of its 11 [...]

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