I’m a collector of masks. On display in my home are over 30 masks carefully carted back as my treasures from visits to faraway lands. So naturally, heading to Venice, I was keen on picking up a few Venice masks to add to my collection. I timed my visit to be there during the last …
Destinations
Quotes on Patriotism: Republic Day in Istanbul While I was in Istanbul, it was a national holiday known as Republic Day, and the flags of Turkey were out in full force. It was the best display of patriotism I have ever encountered. There was a religious holiday going on as well, so festivities were in …
Coming off a week of touring in Europe, I needed a place to relax. I know, there is no feeling sorry for me, the “non-stop traveler” by choice, but it is harder than you think at times! I wanted nothing to do with any cheap or rundown airport hotel but instead wanted upscale and hip. …
Sedona’s cinematic red rocks had been flashing across our windshield for almost an hour. It was hard for the driver to keep her hands on the steering wheel due to the beauty at each turn in the road. My iPhone camera was going off every few minutes, regardless if it was a good shot or …
When I stepped on the grounds of the Shangri La’s Rasa Sayang Resort on the island of Penang, Malaysia, I felt like I had walked into the nostalgic good times of the 1920’s. Old-style, romantic, and unassuming, this resort is like stepping back in the time of the 1920’s world of bourgeoisie and old money. Shangri …
Travelers to Myanmar are there to explore the thousands of pagodas and temples that characterize this country (formerly known as Burma). That’s a given. But not to be missed is the surreal watery world of Inle Lake, famous for its natural beauty, glassy waters, and inhabited by Inthas, the native lake-dwellers known as Myanmar’ Water …
That was my mantra when I stepped off the plane in Yangon, Myanmar. To be honest, I had googled a few images from this Southeast Asia destination to get a sense of what kind of photos I could come home with. Since I was traveling with a group of photographers on a trek. The awe-inspiring …
“Ain’t it funny, rumors fly, And I know you heard about me.” – Taylor Swift Have you heard? I’ve been living it up at the Hotel California in Todos Santos, Mexico… with “mirrors on the ceiling” and “the pink champagne on ice”… I was dangling my feet in the refreshingly cold swimming pool of …
I think back in my mind as I traveled to Indonesia, and it races to the morning when I had a chance to escape the stunningly refurbished and luxury 1918 Phoenix Hotel in all its glory. I walked only about five blocks from the hotel when I had to get a police escort …
Travel to Indonesia I noticed the wrinkles in his face as he stood mute, lips tightly pressed against each other with the skin on his neck muscles taut. He was a thin man, like the ones I typically see when I travel to Indonesia. He was demonstrating one part of the process of the art …
Wisata Off-Road Adventure picked us up after lunch from Café Burangrang. We were at the unique leisure park, Dusun Bambu in Northern Bandung, Indonesia, where we had just had a relaxing lunch overlooking an amazing view of boats on a pond with thatched bungalows. Travel Bandung, Indonesia Traveling to Bandung Indonesia The guides lead …
Wanderings Through Istanbul, Turkey It is an early weekday morning as I stare out the window of my yellow taxi passing a multitude of red and blue celebration flags. No matter how often I visit exotic Istanbul, Turkey, I always feel like there is something majestic and mysterious about it. Exotic Istanbul Something wafting in …