China’s Secret Getaways
Generally speaking, New Yorkers don’t go to the Statue of Liberty, Romans avoid the Colosseum and Parisians wouldn’t be caught dead on the Eiffel Tower. Likewise, very few Beijingers walk The Great...
View ArticleVisiting Myanmar’s Capital is No Longer Restricted
My husband and I have visited Myanmar six times. We have been to Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Lake Inle, Kalaw and Maurk U; each year we ended with at Amazing Resort in Ngapali Beach. I had read and heard...
View ArticleEating Our Way Through the Baltics
By DOMINICK and SUSAN MERLE If that’s elk in my soup, this must be Estonia. One can get a bit disoriented on a cruise ship after charging down the gangplank each morning and entering another new port...
View ArticleSri Lanka: A Gem with Many Facets
After years of civil war, peace has arrived in Sri Lanka and so have the tourists. Why? Because, Sri Lanka is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, an array of beaches and exotic animals — plus...
View ArticleJava — at 50 Bucks a Cup!
Solo, Indonesia—I’ve been traveling to this country since the 1980s, have made a number of friends along the way, but—at the risk of sounding impersonal—it’s the amazing creatures I remember the most....
View ArticleCruising on the Mekong Explorer
Like many Americans, when I hear the word “Mekong” I get an image that comes from movies dealing with the Vietnam War. For me those images are banished forever. After my 8-day cruise on the Mekong...
View ArticleAstana: Whipping Up a Storm
This is the story of how Stalin lost his nose and why kyz kuu, a lovers’ kissing game, is so popular on the steppe of central Asia. But first I want to tell you about Astana, the capital city of...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Grasshoppers, Spices and Malbec
“Try tasty deep-fried grasshoppers,” calls out Niza Lopez of Oaxaca Tourism to onlookers as they walk by the Mexico Tourism Pavilion at the 8th World Culinary Travel Expo at EAT! Vancouver Festival....
View ArticlePanda Bear Keeper for a Day in Chengdu, China
Panda Bear keeper for a day in Chengdu China. As we were driving to the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, north of the city of Chengdu, I noticed there were four lights rather than the...
View ArticleA Table Rendezvous with Italy’s Chef Ottavio Bellesi on the Golden Princess
Dining at a Chef’s Table should always be a titillating treat of tantalizing tastes. Traditionally, a Chef’s Table is located in the kitchen – where the guests can watch, and “ooh” and “ahh” as the...
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