Taroko National Park is one of the highlights of Taiwan, with the Taroko Gorge ranking among the great natural wonders of Asia. When I was planning my trip most of the information I found was from travel agents selling tours. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko […]
Notes on Haiphong – A historic port city in Northern Vietnam
Haiphong is the third-largest city in Vietnam, and it’s one of the five municipal cities. apart from being an industrial port city, it has a historic city centre that should attract more tourists than it does. It rarely makes anyones list of places to visit in Vietnam, but if you have time it’s worth a […]
Shamian – the historic concession island of Guangzhou
Shamian in Guangzhou is a former concession island that was established by the French and British after the Second Opium War. This small island has some of the best preserved colonial architecture in Asia. It might also be the best 19th century historical site that isn’t a UNESCO World Heritage Site (yet). The island was […]
Notes on Guangzhou: A worthy stopover city beyond the trade fair
I was in Guangzhou on a stopover with China Southern Airlines. In addition to being a modern megacity, it also has some of the best preserved heritage architecture in Asia. It had been nine years since my last visit to Guangzhou. Nine years is a long time in modern China, and Guangzhou (like Shenzhen) seemed […]
The Acropolis and the saga of the Parthenon Marbles
On my first visit to Athens I of course went to the Acropolis. How could you not. This ancient monument is so well known that there was the danger of it not living up to a lifetime of expectations. Fortunately I was more impressed than I thought I would be. After my Athens visit I […]
Notes on Athens – Acropolis views for everyone, golden passports, graffiti, Greek coffee, and street cats
I knew I was going to like Athens even before I went. Apart from being one of the most culturally significant cities in Europe, Athens has a reputation of being a bit rough around the edges. That sounds like my kind of place, and after arriving I was asking myself why I hadn’t visited sooner. […]
Notes on Malta : old knights, planned cities, and EU passports
Malta is the 10th smallest country in the world, and it also qualifies as a microstate. When looking at a full map of Europe, Malta barely registers as a biscuit crumb under the Island of Sicily. This was my first time in Malta, and for this trip, I just stayed on the island of Malta. […]
Taman Negara – the ancient rainforest in the heart of Peninsula Malaysia
Taman Negara is the largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia and one the most famous nature reserves in Southeast Asia. Taman Negara is Malay for “national park”, so there’s no need to say Taman Negara National Park when referring to it. As one of the world’s most ancient rainforests and being the green heart of […]
A day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong
Taking a stopover between flights is a good way to get a bonus trip within a trip. Hong kong is one of those places where I’ll build in a stop if I have the time. I figure that a day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong. I first used this […]
Notes on Nha Trang – stopover edition
Nha Trang is a provincial capital city of Vietnam that feels like a resort town. Like Danang in central Vietnam, the city is right on the beach. While Danang has been grabbing international headlines with it’s Golden Bridge and listing of top places to visit by the NY Times, Nha Trang has been quietly getting […]
