Myanmar. It’s a destination that’s been on many a travel bucket list for awhile now, including mine. But it always seemed just a little out of reach. I was drawn to the exotic architecture and culture, but it was this same exoticism that overwhelmed me. Sometimes I would stare dreamily at … Read more
Often compared with Tokyo, Kyoto is Japan’s most manageable city, one of the world’s greatest walking cities, and perfect for biking, too. It’s laid out on a grid so getting lost is a choice rather than the inevitability like in Tokyo. Walk, rent bicycles, or even take public transportation which … Read more
Sprawling over 5,200 square miles and with upwards of 35 million residents, greater Tokyo is the world’s largest metropolis. Scores of museums and attractions, parks and gardens, restaurants and nightspots tempt visitors. New attractions, like Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest freestanding tower, keep Japan’s capital on the cutting edge. But … Read more
I was reluctant to visit Thailand thanks to its reputation as a haven for sexpats – old geezers with their drooping, chicken skin arms around the shoulders of girls and boys forty years younger. But when I realized how much I loved the spices of Southeast Asia, and legitimate massages, I … Read more
Japan remains for me “the trip of a lifetime” and even though I am there frequently, its magic makes each visit memorable and instructive. I learn something new every time. On a personal level, my time there has led me to think more about the group than myself; to be … Read more
Cities, restaurants, temples, shops, markets? Cultural experiences? Museums? Bars, late night jazz clubs? Dancing? Drinking? Who needs any of it? Japan offers, instead, a unique and magical one of a kind opportunity to explore the depths of your soul, and live to tell the tale. Ryokans, a type of … Read more
Samurai Central On the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, lies the serene, mountainous region known as Ishikawa. With its pristine coast and remote villages, Ishikawa offers a respite from life’s stressors. Ishikawa is easily reached by plane or car, but the most romantic way to get there is on … Read more
“Beyond Angkor Wat” No trip to Southeast Asia is truly a trip without a visit to Cambodia, particularly to Siem Reap, home of the magnificent and awe-inspiring Angkor Wat temples. Not only have these UNESCO world heritage sites outlasted monsoon rains, various wars and the Khmer Rouge regime, they … Read more
Adventures in the Garden City When most people think of Bangalore they imagine high-tech, computers and call centers. Indeed, in last year’s Booker Prize winner, White Tiger (by Aravind Adiga), the main protagonist claims “Everything in the city, it seemed, came down to one thing. Outsourcing.” That’s a little … Read more
When one thinks “Tokyo”, immediately futuristic technology, enormous Sony Trinitron screens, Hello Kitty and “Lost in Translation” come to mind. While these images are truly a part of the Japanese urban landscape, a new neighborhood in Tokyo has recently begun to sprout, offering a respite from the overwhelming cacophony … Read more
Majestic Phnom Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capitol, is in the midst of a major upheaval. Old and new are constant clashes—it’s a city where cycle drivers share the road with elephants and BMW SUVs; where tented houses sit in front of high rise modern apartment dwellings. Poised as a … Read more
Considering the efficiency of Japan, it’s interesting to witness the dramatic change to Roppongi, an enduring neighborhood in the city of Tokyo. This district has had a diverse and colorful history not unlike the amusement park aura of Times Square, New York, but in its current metamorphosis, Roppongi has … Read more
I love Tokyo and in my next life I imagine you’ll find me in my suite on the 47th floor of the Park Hyatt showering and dressing for drinks and dinner with Scarlett Johansson between takes of, “Lost in Translation,” which was filmed at the hotel. Tokyo invokes manic … Read more
I considered Kyoto a one-day trip, planned to visit for two, and in the end stayed for three. The truth is though you could easily spend a week in this city three hundred miles southwest of Tokyo. Kyoto is a fishbowl city, nestled in mountains on its West, North and … Read more
