You’ve probably heard of all the wonders Thailand has to offer. Exquisite beauty, adventure, rich culture, friendly people. And you may have heard of Koh Phangan, a tiny island off Thailand’s east coast in the …
August 8, 2010
Asia: travel reviews
Another Side of Koh Phangan, Thailand
Japan: Word to the Wise
I’ve been sitting at my desk for three days, trying to effectively capture the feeling of what it‘s like to stand in the middle of the Tokyo train station after 12 hours of ass cramps …
Chiang Mai: Northern Thailand
It’s been a whirlwind of emotions coming back to Chiang Mai. I can't believe I lived here for so long and made this place my home only 3 years ago. We immediately rented a motorbike …
June 3, 2010
Enchanted Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Four days, two nights spent boating through majestic Halong Bay is like a dream. Turquoise blue water and giant, dragon-shaped cliff islands covered by jungle forests simply equals magical. There are a million different tour …
May 16, 2010
An Elephant’s Eye: Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka
I’d been in Sri Lanka for a week, and now a couple of friends and I are driving through the interior of the island nation. The road’s edge is lined with a string-wire fence standing …
April 30, 2010
Modern Meets Traditional: Xiamen Island, China
Pronounced Shaw-man, Xiamen is China’s up-and-coming Hong Kong. At least, that’s what they’re aiming for on this quickly modernizing tropical Chinese island. Xiamen is a strange mix of traditional architecture and culture and evolving modern …
Mount Huang, Anhui Province, China
Having two weeks to kill in China, my group of friends and I decided to brave a train/backpacking trip from Shanghai to Huangshan National Park in Anhui province. We took an overnight regional train (about …
April 19, 2010
Ticket to Tel Aviv
Democratic congressman Bob Filner spent a week in Israel last month courtesy of a tax-exempt group run by J Street, an advocacy organization that casts itself as a liberal alternative to the American Israel Public …
March 17, 2010
The National Gandhi Museum in Delhi, India
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. It comes courtesy of the simple spiritual man in the loincloth who brought the British Empire to …
Kamakura, Japan: Surf and Zen
Just a short train ride from Tokyo, Kamakura is a small seaside town with a big green Buddha. Besides seeing the famous Buddha, there are plenty of temples and shrines dotting the hills and valleys …
Mystical Varanasi, India
One of the most exotic travel experiences I’ve ever had was in Varanasi, India. Varanasi, sometimes called Benares, is the holiest city of the Hindu religion. The highlight of any trip to Varanasi is a …
Indiana-Born Juice
Most tracks on the Best of Daygo City hip-hop compilation are exclusive to the project, a likely factor behind Jake Records picking it up for distribution through retailers, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. Among its …
October 21, 2009
Kobe, Japan
While Kobe is most commonly known for its tender, succulent cuts of beef, it’s also famous for its remarkable recovery after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995. This massive earthquake, which reduced the city to …
October 21, 2009
Palawan, Philippines
Palawan is the Philippines’ last frontier. Tourism has yet to penetrate this elongated island located southwest of Luzon, a paradise for tourists. Setting foot on Palawan, you’ll find yourself in a landscape of lush Jurassic …
October 12, 2009
Bangkok, Thailand: The Land of Smiles
I moved to Thailand straight after college graduation with my philosopher boyfriend and our $100,000 degrees to do something different. We knew nothing about the country except what our Lonely Planet guidebooks told us on …
September 29, 2009