Destinations

  I have put this in its own section as you could spend an entire day exploring the street markets or just an evening. There is a lot of opportunity for shopping, eating, and photography. One could also spill out the market exploration over multiple days as something to unwind in the evenings.  For a three-day itinerary, I recommend covering the markets in one day or over two evenings. We made a walking tour of this and…

Read Matsuo Basho Create your own poetry. On this day of Spring! It’s April 17th, when we celebrate International Haiku Day worldwide because this form of ancient Japanese poetry is that awesome. If you are nerdy about poetry, then I expect your social feeds to be full of haiku memes, forwards, and jokes. On this day, haiku gets a lot of love in the world. So, What’s A Haiku? For those who are not familiar, haiku…

“Yosemite Park… None can escape its charms. Its natural beauty cleans and warms like a fire, and you will be willing to stay forever in one place like a tree.” ― John Muir Set in the heart of California, Yosemite National Park is without doubt our favorite national park destination in the state. An easy drive from either north or south of California, the park gets crowded during the summer providing an easy weekend getaway for…

I step out from under the dirty brown awning of my three-story apartment building. The grey cracked concrete walkway to the street is littered with a soggy, muddy old copy of the Los Angeles Times, pages falling out of the flimsy string holding it together. An empty Starbucks plastic cup (tall) rolls over brightly printed car wash coupons, charred cigarette butts sneak from under the sun-baked yellow grass, dead bougainvillea flowers sit degenerating into pulp…

This July, I fell in love with Hong Kong. It was quick and unexpected and on short three- day stopover trip en route to Los Angeles. With temperatures in the 90s and typhoon season humidity, those few days are a sweaty blur in my mind. But I remember the feeling of being in a giant mass of humanity, of a place of some importance. As I boarded my flight back home, I carried specific images…

St. Louis, Missouri is a town of considerable historical importance, especially as it was the frontier for the western exploration of America. Somehow it has never reached the size and buzz of the bigger metropolises of the United States. It does have its own unique charm, and some neighborhoods provide an opportunity for walking, shopping, eating, and people-watching. Grand Boulevard near SLU is a great place to spend your evening. You can start by taking…

Located across the narrow Straits of Gibraltar, Morocco has been Europe’s gateway to Africa. For many years ruled by both France & Spain, the free Morocco of today asserts its Islamic & Berber heritage. I recommend the following books for your first time Morocco travels.  These will help plan your trip and familiarize yourself with the rich and conflicted history of this small country in North Africa. Fodor’s Travel : Essential Morocco From the multicultural…

Landing in Florida As the plane circled Orlando, I had a feeling that I was flying over a gigantic golf course. Orlando is not just the city of theme parks, it is a theme park. Well manicured gardens, little ponds, white roads, and clearly outlined neighborhoods, it appears very pretty from the top. This appeared to be a very promising beginning to our seven day trip to Florida. Stepping out of the airport, it was…