Lugu Lake in China: A Breathtaking Vision of Blue
Lugu Lake is a location I had never heard of and probably never would have seen if not for Ya Ting, my travel partner in Yunnan province. It spans the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, giving the perfect entryway to a province I hadn’t even intended to visit, but have been loving exploring ever […]
A Motorhome Adventure in South Tyrol, Italy
Good day from sunny and green South Tyrol in Italy, where you may have noticed I keep returning to. What I enjoy today is the same emotion I felt when I first arrived here and six months later with my mother – it’s so unexpected and not at all what I pictured when I saw […]
Discover Asia’s 8 most tranquil destinations
Think of the most tranquil place you’ve ever visited. What do you remember? I love the places that make me feel relaxed and happy, whether it’s because of the laid-back atmosphere, the genuine peace, or the wonderful people around me (or all of the above). They give me goosebumps and make me want to stay […]
Adventures in Swakopmund, Namibia: Sandboarding and Skydiving
Sand. Sweat. Sun. A cooling wind follows, to jump out of an aircraft. I was standing near the edge of the dune in Swakopmund, Namibia. That seemed terribly steep and I thought about my shoulder surgery. It’s been years, yet it lingers in my memory anytime I gaze at the edge of anything I’m about […]
Namibia’s Sossusvlei Dunes: a desert paradise
The sky changed from absolute dark to royal blue, speckled with a milky way of stars spanning from corner to corner in an arc. The sun was rising quicker than my feet could take me, and I was concerned that the peak might become inaccessible in time. I couldn’t stop since there was a continual […]
East Africa: more than meets the eye
“When you leave Africa, as the jet starts off, you have the sensation that in addition to leaving a continent, you are abandoning a state of mind. What awaits you at the other end of your voyage will be of another order of reality.” — Francesca Marciano, “Rules of Nature” East Africa was a different […]
My travel philosophy revisited
About a year ago, I posted an essay explaining how I can afford to travel. This was after I had finished my first year of continuous solo travel, and I have since done another ten months. I still receive a lot of letters wondering how I finance this, which made me realize that I wasn’t […]
A Culinary Journey in Italy
My Culinary Quest in Italy I had one goal in mind when I boarded the plane to Bologna after a year of longing: to eat as much, as varied, and as local as I could in a week. Italy has many other attractions, of course: magnificent churches and monuments, breathtaking landscapes and beaches, and friendly […]
Tofo Mozambique – The Paradise You Never Knew Existed
I’m familiar with a location where few people are. It’s the type of area where the silica-rich sand creaks beneath your feet, where you quit wearing shoes, don’t even think about combing your hair, and where, since there are no mirrors, you stop thinking about how you appear. It begins to become whatever you feel, […]
Three stunning places in Southern Africa for a safari adventure
An African safari is one of those experiences I’ve wanted to have ever since I learned that “Z is for zebra” in my early years. Illustrated books flooded my head with thoughts of what Africa would be like. I pictured a bright, brilliant sun with animals roaming nonchalantly, coming out of nowhere. At the national […]