To me, Tibet is the most mysterious, unforgettable destination in the world. The majesty of the Himalayas, the unique cultural treasures, and the beautiful and warm Tibetan people combine to create an achingly overwhelming experience. When you add the sudden lack of oxygen and resulting lack of sleep, the result is dreamlike and surreal. I … Continue reading
The seven days I spent in Tibet haunt me. I dream often of thick clouds of incense smoke settling heavily on air that is thinned by extreme altitude. In my dreams, I am light headed again, I can’t catch a breath, and my heart is pounding with the sounds of monks chanting to the thrums of the drums and … Continue reading
I’m not an overly experienced diver, but I have been lucky enough to complete more than 30 dives in some of the most beautiful locations in the world. I earned my SSI Open Water Diver certification in Thailand, and I received my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification in the Red Sea in Egypt, which are both … Continue reading
Only 36 km from the China-Vietnam border, and a overnight train ride from Hanoi, lies the quiet mountain town of Sa Pa, which straddles the misty, rice-terraced highlands of Vietnam. Sa Pa is home to migrant lowlanders and a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples, primarily Hmong and Dao. The villagers from areas surrounding Sa … Continue reading
The sound of China will remain forever in my mind as the cacophony of pounding hammers and shovels scraping rock as men build skyscrapers with crude hand tools. What is so astonishing is that the same act in America would be accompanied to the roaring of teams of excavators and electric saws. In China, you … Continue reading
February is one of my absolute favorite months to travel, because it provides perfect weather at some of my favorite destinations, but it also offers the cost benefits of low season in others. As Mark Twain puts it so aptly, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by … Continue reading
