“Malaysia, Truly Asia” The television commercials had been singing their message to us for months, “Malaysia, Truly Asia.” It’s a great ad campaign, with captivating images of white sand beaches,…

No trip to Indonesia would be complete without a visit to the island of Java: not just to sample the coffee but to see how a true Indonesian city feels….

Our journey from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang was over one of the few paved roads in Laos, and it was rough. The rainy season wreaks havoc with landslides, bridges…

Bangkok was a surprise. Maybe it has do do with the neighborhood we stayed in, or the activities we chose, but we didn’t find the chaos or danger we’d heard…

Guanxi Province is known for its stunning natural beauty: green rivers meandering by lofty, tree-covered hills and jagged, gray karst spires that reach into the sky. There’s a national forest,…

Twenty-four years after visiting Hong Kong with my family, I wondered how things may have changed. I was a teenager then, and had been living in Japan as an exchange…

Suzhou (Sūzhōu) is a quick, half-hour high speed train ride north of Shanghai. Once home to over 100 gardens, now there are about a dozen. It’s still known as Garden…

Shanghai: A Great Place to Refuel After a month or so of wandering China, Shanghai was a wonderful place to rest up. It’s very much a modern city, with all…

Located northwest of the center of town, the Summer Palace was a retreat for royalty trying to get away from Beijing’s stifling summer heat. It began as imperial gardens, and…

Our lodging, The House Hostel offers free bikes to guests, so an afternoon of cycling was a must.  The port serves as the terminal for Russian ferries (the only one…