Helsinki Design
Helsinki is defined by design. The city rebuilt itself in the wake of the Second World War and excelled at design. It was cutting edge and the world noticed. Helsinki is still pioneering the realm […]
Destinations
Peculiarities of Iceland
Hot Dog and a Coke Icelanders drink the most Coca-Cola per-capita on earth. Not what you were expecting from Iceland? It’s true—they are Coca-Cola crazy. They tipple 30 gallons (115 liters) of the classic variety
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My Day with a Pro Photographer in Iceland
If there is one place you want to be able to capture great images of one of most incredible landscapes on earth, it’s Iceland. The good people at Happy Day’s Iceland and Esja Travel
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Photos from the Road: Geysir Iceland
Geysir is one of the stops along the popular Golden Circle. This is the original tourist attraction of Iceland. In the late 1700s, Geysir (Geyser) was included in a British traveler’s guide and so introduced
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2012 US Road Trip in Numbers
2012 US Road Trip in Numbers 39 Days on the Road 6,141 Miles (9,883 kilometers) 13 States Our Route We left from Virginia, taking about six days to reach our destination: the TBEX
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Photos from the Road: Petroglyphs in New Mexico
I always try to schedule a little less than I know I have time for at a destination. That way there’ll be time to squeeze in something spontaneous. I followed this rule while loosely planning
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Why I went to Oak Ridge Tennessee
What’s in Oak Ridge Tennessee? The short answer to this question is that a good friend of mine has parents that live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I had never met them, and he suggested we
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Fulfilling Childhood Dreams at the Very Large Array
Navigating our road trip to the Very Large Array At dusk the evening before, we made a scramble for free camping in The Box. There is little information for The Box Canyon along Route 60, both
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A Day in Santa Fe
History and Superlatives of Santa Fe We somehow brought the July monsoon with us from the north. It rained in Taos and continued in Santa Fe. There they were grateful for it. Santa
On America’s Road’s: Into Enchanting New Mexico from the North
New Mexico: Land of Enchantment We left Great Sand Dunes after an early morning climbing to the top of these tallest dunes in North America. By 11am I saw the gigantic dunes shrinking
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Interior Design Done Right at Northern Quest
Interior Design at Northern Quest I’m not an interior design expert nor do I know very much on the subject. I’ve only briefly touched on the topic when I wrote about malls in Singapore. I
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On America’s Roads: Reaching the West via Oklahoma
Somewhere west of Tulsa the landscape really opened up. Long rolling hills stretched under grazing cows and the occasional oil pumpjack dotted the view. We’d later learn from Debbie in Perry that the wheat was
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On America’s Roads: The Natural State
We left Lake Charles State Park before breakfast and made a quick stop at Lynn Supermarket in the small town of Lynn, Arkansas. It’s the kind of business that advertises “Old Fashioned Hometown Service!” in
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On America’s Roads: Pushing further West—across the Mississippi
We got a late start out of Nashville, chatting around the breakfast table until nearly noon. We stopped at one of Nashville’s oddities that is the Parthenon—an exactly two-thirds-sized replica of the real thing
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On America’s Roads: To Nashville
Even though I make an effort to avoid the interstate highways, we couldn’t avoid Interstate 81 through Virginia. It took us in exactly the direction we needed to go and it’s got to be
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On America’s Roads: Before I Begin
I’ve been road-tripping my whole life. It’s one of the quintessential American experiences. It’s something I want to revisit at different stages of my life. The road trip always manifests itself differently depending on your
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A Digital Nomad in Dali, China
There aren’t too many places in China that I would recommend to digital nomads, but Dali is one of them. Dali is an ancient city, but among the old stone buildings and cobbled streets, there
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What $1.25 gets you in Vietnam
$1.25 in Your Vietnam Budget for Travel 25,000 dong sounds like a great sum of money. And it is for your Vietnam budget! Here’s what it gets you in one of the world’s best value
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Recommendations in Hoi An, Vietnam
Recommendations in Hoi An, Vietnam Here are some of my favorite recommendations in Hoi An, Vietnam. Trying hard not to dismiss Hoi An This has been a recurring theme in my travel. Show up in
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The Traffic of Hanoi [photos]
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
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First Day in a New Country: Here’s What I do
I just arrived in Vietnam last night on a bus from southern China. So what do I do during my first day in a country? How do I orient myself? Walk This is my
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What I love about China (it’s not what you think)
For a balanced view of China I’ve published this post simultaneously along with the more negative: Why it’s time to leave China It’s not about the Great Wall. Not that I’ve got anything against the
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It’s time to leave China
For a balanced view of China I’ve published this post simultaneously along with the more positive: What I love about China (it’s not what You Think Not that I have to. But want to. More
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Learning Chinese
My Uncle has a joke that goes something like this: “I know Arabic.” “What are you talking about, Uncle Jim? Of course you don’t.” We would think to ourselves, waiting for the punchline. Then he