Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel

Northern Thailand is no mystery to most tourists.

Every year in January, the village of Bo Sang in Chiang Mai Province holds the Bo Sang Umbrella Festival, one of the most interesting festivals in Thailand, which celebrates the making and selling of gorgeous hand-made, hand-painted paper umbrellas.

It poured almost every day I was in India.

I arrived in Dharamsala, India, a couple of days before the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration and Long Life Ceremony.

I travel to see geological sites, to attend festivals, and to experience culture.

Perth may be Australia’s fourth largest city, but it is better known as “one of the most isolated big cities in the world.”

Geologists and scientists can’t agree on how The Pinnacles in Western Australia were formed.

“Lake” isn’t an accurate description of Lake Ballard in Western Australia.

I squinted in the pre-dawn grayness, searching for signs of the tropical pink water lilies that carpet the surface of Nong Han Lake every winter.

Picture thousands of people dressed up as monsters, roaming the streets of a tiny village in northeastern Thailand.

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic was a scourge on the earth, however for me there were a few silver linings amongst the lockdowns and quarantines.

Thai society erupted in controversy last month when the government approved a proposal to change the official name of Thailand’s capital from Bangkok to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.

March answered her phone, even though it was from an unknown caller.

A couple of months ago I struck up a conversation with a young man at Cozy Coffee and Bistro, my home away from home in Chiang Mai.

There’s a new attraction north of Chiang Mai that only locals seem to know about.

Most people barely give Krabi Town a second glance.

Every spring, when farmers burn their fields, a thick blanket of smoke descends upon my home in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The first time I saw the Dton Yaang Naa trees I was transfixed.

Here’s something new and fun and (for me) very exciting.

Most people have seen gorgeous photos of the cherry tree blossoms in Japan and Washington D.C.

It may have been nearly 14 months since I’ve been able to travel internationally, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting at home here in Chiang Mai.

I’ve always heard it said that when I don’t know what to do, I should do nothing.

Not long ago, if anyone had asked me if I believe it is acceptable to ride elephants, my answer would have been a resounding “NO!”

They say timing is everything.

Khor Virap.

In the dim light of Saint Astvatsatsin chapel at Khor Virap Monastery in Armenia, I carefully picked my way over the uneven stone floor.

There was no escaping the imposing presence of Mt.

From the moment I set foot in Baku, I knew there was something very different about Azerbaijan’s capital city.

Mtskheta, the original capital of Georgia, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the place where the country first adopted Christianity in 334.

I just finished watching day three of the Democratic National Convention.