The Island Beyond the Beach Zanzibar is officially part of Tanzania, but it’s always been different. A small island off the coast of East Africa, it has a history straight out of 1001 Arabian Nights, more Sinbad than Swahili. While most of Africa was carved up by Imperial European powers … Read more
The Trip of a Lifetime “You want me to get in there?” “How old are you?” “You’ve only been flying for how long?” “Is there another way for us to get there? “Can we really fit?” This tiny plane looks like it was borrowed from the Wright Brothers.” The … Read more
The Hydroussa Hotel As you pass through the tall gates into the courtyard of the Hydroussa Hotel on the little Greek island of Hydra, you instantly experience its inviting embrace–even before stepping through the intricately carved wooden doors and into the marble coolness of the lobby. The allure of the … 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
Aloha Chinese inscriptions on ancient rock formations in the scenic Tianya Haijao or the “remotest corner of the Earth” twenty kilometers from Sanya encapsulate the traditional belief that the world is in China and the country’s southernmost shore, the Hainan province, is in fact the end of the world. In … Read more
A Vibrant Gateway to Africa Patience is a virtue in Dakar, Senegal’s seaside capital and a gateway to the rest of West Africa. But it is most always worth the wait. Dakar’s vibrant music scene (one of Senegal’s major exports) can be taken in on any night of the … Read more
“Jesus, Sharif!” I yell from the backseat to my driver, pointing frantically to the pedestrian stepping blindly into the street. “Relax, Mr. David,” Sharif stoically responds, to the mass of confusion that is unfolding in our path, “everything is under control.” I have my doubts as the jet-black Mercedes … Read more
Morocco’s Mixed Bag When American expat writer Paul Bowles wrote that travelers to Morocco “expect mystery and they find it,” he must have been thinking of Marrakech and the High Atlas Mountains that stand sentinel over it. Morocco is only seven miles across the Straight of Gibraltar from Europe … Read more
If bombed-out Detroit is post-apocalyptic America, then booming Austin, Texas, is the happier version of the future. Austin, population 700,000, has a thriving D.I.Y. creative class and thanks to high-rise condominium development an increasingly dense urban center. This is no small feat in Texas, the third largest state, where sprawl … Read more
