Long before GATT, the TWO and global trade, there was the Vietnamese port city of Hội An. From 2,000 years back the little settlement with the giant harbor served as a conduit for goods coming and going throughout the Pacific Rim and beyond. In the 10th Century spices, silks and ivory from Hội An were [...]
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The Wall Trees of Hong Kong
When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When is the second best time to plant a tree? Right now. So the saying goes and with the world’s population increasingly urbanized, conserving, protecting and propagating urban greenery and urban forests is vitally important. Hong Kong is one of the most densly populated [...]
Indian Street Food. What Will This Do To My Intestines?
A thin man with buck-teeth who had evidently been watching me make my way around the market area asked “How can you put that much food in your body?” I felt guilty for a moment. That first-world guilt when you really do know you’re privileged and you really do know that you’re abusing that privilege. [...]
Visiting Kyoto Monuments
If Tokyo impresses visitors with its futuristic look, Kyoto is actually the historical and cultural centre of Japan. Surrounded on three sides by wooded hills and mountains, bisected by the Kamo River, the city occupies an exceptional site. With its unique geography comes a unique history! The ancient capital of Japan – from 794 until [...]
Fort Aguada India
I walked the hill to the fort above the Goa Resort and the Russians didn’t like it. “It is too hot. Get on.” Scooter after scooter passed me, stopped, waited for me to reach them then offered me a ride. It was very kind but, “I’d really like to walk.” “You will die.” “I won’t [...]
Famous People Dead : Five Incorrupt Saints You Have to Meet
Of course the Portuguese had gotten all out of control. Timayya had done his work well and the Bijapur kings were out of the way. Goa belonged to Portugal and everyone was rich from slaving and spices. Other than to wait for next year’s spice fleet, there was not much to do beyond bearing the [...]
The ULTIMATE Travel Resource Library – Part I:New Mexico, Colorado, France, Vietnam and Haiti
The full library is available here Part II is here – You already know we’re book hounds here at Around the World in Eighty Years. Heck, the name itself is an ode to the literature of travel. I never go anywhere without a stack of books. Wherever I go, I’m obsessed with knowing as [...]
Five Restaurants and Two Bars in Panaji, Goa, India
Panaji is a sweet little town strung out along the southern bank of the Mandovi River just above its outlet to the Arabian Sea. It’s friendly for a state capital and very manageable for visitors. The Portuguese-era colonial charms are apparent in the colorful blue, purple and yellow buildings, the small, balcony gardens and the [...]
Slide Show: Nature on the Kagal Peninsula, Kumta, Karnataka, India
What are some of the best places to eat in Panaji, Goa? Find out here.
Makara Sankranti – A Festival for Beerdevaiah
Indian Festivals – Last night we were invited to the harvest festival (Makara Sankranti) for the local village. This was in celebration of the local deity Beeradevaiah, servant of Shiva. Absolutely an incredible experience.
Muslims in India – Fishermen Return at Dawn
There are tens of millions of muslims in India. Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with 13.4% of the country’s population (over 160 million as per 2001 census). Islam came to India with the Arab merchants and traders on the Malabar Coast in the 7th century. Islam arrived in north India in the 12th [...]
Purchase Fine Art Prints and Books by Jim O’Donnell
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Twenty-One Beautiful Birds of Panama – Birdgasm!
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Spring Rainstorm Pictures – My Shot of the Day – April 1, 2013
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Seeking Some Sassy Ceviche at the Fish Market in Panama City
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Arabian Sea Sunset
