Touring Temples at Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang
There’s a lot to see around touristy Luang Prabang, and Wat Xieng Thong, the most important of temples in town, is at the top of the list.
temples
Touring Vientiane on a Bike
On my first full day in Vientiane, I decided to go biking through the capital city. While biking Vientiane made it easier to see more of the city, I should’ve been better prepared.
Wandering through Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda was the only must-see tourist sight I planned for my stay in Yangon, which doesn’t have a lot of major sites to visit.
Buddha’s Giant Feet at Wat Pho in Bangkok
Some sights are awe inspiring. And standing in admiration of the reclining Buddha at Bangkok’s Wat Pho is an experience worth seeing.
The Streets of Osaka, Japan
As I wander through cities, I sometimes try to take in too much at once. The sights, sounds, smells of a city are what give me a sense of place.
The Road to Picturesque Prambanan
After awaking early in Yogyakarta to watch the sunrise at Borobudur, I headed to the other UNESCO World Heritage Site — Prambanan Temple Complex.
Calm Lake at Banteay Srei, Cambodia
On my second day in Siem Reap, I stopped at a lake outside Banteay Srei to enjoy the calm hidden from the large groups of tourists at Angkor Wat.
Biking through Bagan
Most travelers only spend a day or two in Bagan while in Myanmar. Due to my own carelessness, I got 5 days of biking in the land of pagodas.
Birthday Borobudur Sunrise
What ever became of my youth? I wanted to stop a stranger and ask. “It went into hiding,” said an old woman Who’d read my mind. “Swimming with sharks,” a drunk concurred – Charles Simic, from The Stray There wasn’t much time to prepare. I had a long overnight layover in Kuala Lumpur on my …
Sunrise Bike Ride in Bagan
What’s the one thing everyone does in Bagan? Watch the sunrise over the pagodas. Plenty of people go for the sunrise balloon ride over Bagan, and I admit that I wanted to do the same. That is, until I saw the price tag. $350 per person. And those are US dollars, not Canadian or Australian. …
Watching the Sunset Over Tō-Ji in Kyoto
Before setting out to Kyoto with my limited itinerary, I read that the sunset was beautiful around Tō-Ji, Eastern Temple. Or maybe I read that it was meant for sunrise, but I wasn’t about to wake up that early.
Finding Nature in Tokyo at Mt. Mitake
As the weather cooled in autumn, I searched for new outdoor activities around Tokyo–it was almost late October and the foliage was beginning to change with the season.
Lost at a Taiwanese Temple
The other day I headed out for an afternoon of art at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Art in northern Taipei’s Beitou District. I had some rough directions thanks to Google Maps, which still hasn’t fixed its maps here (MRT line 3 was on the map when I arrived back in late November, but it …
Staring at the Lion’s Feet in Shanghai
“Sometimes we don’t even realize what we really care about, because we get so distracted by the symbols.” ― Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Back in 2006, just before my first Spring Festival celebration in China, I wandered the streets of Shanghai. My travel companion was busy most days with her friend, so …
Cao Dai: A Different Kind of Temple in Vietnam
Visiting the colorful Cao Đài Temple outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on a day tour that included the Cu Chi Tunnels.