How To Travel Through Southeast Asia On A Budget There are many reasons Southeast Asia is such an attractive destination for us Westerners. Its thousands of islands have some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, perfect waves for…
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…
In many countries and continents, their rivers are the life-givers that have seen villages, temples, traditions and even religions built up from their shores. A river is often ground-zero for the history and culture of a nation. For many travellers…
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…
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…
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…
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. …
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…
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…
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…
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.
