Entering Iran. Not quite business class, but almost felt like an Economy Plus seat. I stretched my feet in the bulkhead area and luxuriated over the two adjacent empty but faded seats. I twisted my head and peered behind me. Head scarves and dark, cheap suits stared back at me. I was the only westerner on [...]
“Down with USA”. I stared at the mural. What did they mean? Down with the USA, like I hope the country becomes a fiery apocalypse? Or, like, yeah, I am down with the USA, they are AOK in my book. This is a conflicting message that travelers are continually confronted with when visiting Iran. At first [...]
Candle Light Vigil To The Armenian Genocide Memorial. Dusk was settling in over Yerevan Opera Theatre. Two giant flags were handled by dozens of uniformed youth. Thousands of people, many clutching torches or candles, had gathered to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Over 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered in the first genocide [...]
Visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial. Armenians gather around the world to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Armenians from the far corners of the globe; from Buenos Aires to Guangzhou to Chicago honor 1.5 million Armenians slaughtered by the Turks in 1915. In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, hundreds of thousands solemnly march to [...]
Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon. I know I am in good company when I am staying at a hotel that hosted the former US Secretary of State. I spent three great and relaxing nights at the Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon. The Chatrium is nestled in a private area next to Kandawgyi Lake. The updated room [...]
Visiting Hong Kong. Hong Kong should be on everyone’s list of top cities to visit. It is a spectacular amalgam of Chinese and British colonial influences bursting at the seams of this city-state. Seven million people are packed into this city that sits on the South China Sea. Hong Kong was a British colony from 1842 [...]
Sak Yant Tattoo Festival - Day One. It is a smagorsbord. One part carnival, one part tattoo marathon, one part madhouse, and a final part of a supercharged religious awakening. The Sak Yant Wai Kru Festival takes place every March at the Wat Bang Pra temple outside of Bangkok. https://youtu.be/u3KdhmCako4 Each year 10,000 people descend [...]
White Temple – A Must-See. Wat Rong Khun also known by its nickname the White Temple is a contemporary and outlandish temple located in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The White Temple is a sparkly alabaster that sometimes glitters in the sun and shimmers in the surrounding pond. The White Temple only began construction in 1997 and is [...]
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