2020 will remain in history not only as one of the most disruptive year for travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, but also the year of many political unrests and tense situations around the world. Protests in Hong Kong, Thailand, Belarus, just to name a few, elections in the US, the war between Armenia and…
The Story of a Photo – The Future Is Bright
I visited Cat Ba Island roughly a year ago, before the world as we know if changed in 2020 and travel industry went to hell. It was a routine trip from Hanoi, where I was basing myself at that time, just for a few days. Cat Ba is the largest island in Ha Long Bay…
Latest From Vietnam
Greetings, my dear readers! :)I thought I would write a sort of a personal update post about the past few months that I spent in a self-imposed lockdown in Nha Trang, on the coast of southern Vietnam. Yes, it’s been almost 6 months since I arrived here, and as for most of you, that meant…
10 Things Rich and Poor Enjoy Equally
The year 2020 is probably going to remain in our memories for a long time to come. With the Covid-19 pandemic, so many of things we took for granted are simply no more, and the effect of all these restrictions, closures and health scares are more profound than anyone could every imagine even back in…
Destination: Guatemala
My first and only trip to Guatemala was back in 2007, yet it stays in my memory as one of the most interesting ones I’ve taken, even now. I remember I got some free time fairly unexpectedly and was wondering where to go. Guatemala wasn’t on my radar initially, but my girlfriend at the time…
The Story of a Photo – Mingalaba (Myanmar)
I visited Myanmar well before its recent tourist boom – in 2008, to be exact. Only a trickle of foreigners were to be seen in the then capital of Yangon, and apart from the already touristy Inle Lake, Mandalay and Bagan, the rest of the country was either devoid of visitors or actually closed to…
My Top Ten Southeast Asian Sites
Now that the world is slowly starting to open up for traveling again, I would like to resume writing posts on some of my top-ranked places around the world, and what better place to start than Southeast Asia, one of my favourite regions of the world. Here is the list, in the 10 to 1…
My Thoughts on Elephant Riding
Recently, I had a chance to spend an hour riding an elephant in a village near Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. Some of you progressively-minded readers might gasp in horror – how irresponsible of me. Don’t I know how awful it is for the animals’ spines and how badly these elephants are treated in the…
How I Spent My Quarantine?
As the world is enveloped by the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us are probably stuck at home under a quarantine, #stayhome or Shelter-in-place order or recommendation. Basically, the life as we know it has been severely disrupted. I found myself in the coastal city of Nha Trang, Vietnam around the middle of March and decided…
The Story of a Photo – Titian (China)
My trip to the Chinese province of Yunnan deserves its own post, which is forthcoming. But the main reason I wanted to visit it was the Yuanyang rice terraces, a UNESCO listed site, known locally as “titian”. Getting there wasn’t easy, but when I finally arrived, I realized I’m up for a big disappointment: the…