I checked in to my Dubai hotel at 2:00 a.m. this morning, fresh off an eight-hour flight from Guangzhou. In the lobby, people were still enjoying the night. Two thirtysomething expatriate women emerged from the pub in summer frocks, looking like they were on their way to an English garden party. This is a city… Continue reading Dubai by Rail and Foot
Month: April 2017
Five South Korean National Parks
South Korea is a nation of hikers. On the trails old, young, hip, dowdy, they love to hike. It’s no wonder: Korea is mountainous, but the population is concentrated on relatively small plains. The mountains beckon. During my current stay in South Korea I’ve hiked in five of South Korea’s twenty-two national parks.
Descending Lifelines and Other Korean Oddities
I’m still trying to figure out why I needed two stylists to blow-dry my hair with their duelling dryers in a Seoul salon. That’s the joy of travel. Even everyday situations can surprise. When something is “not like back home” that is to be welcomed. Anyway, here’s my list of some Korean oddities I’ve encountered… Continue reading Descending Lifelines and Other Korean Oddities
The Time I Was Denied Entry to China and How I Got In
I’m in Shanghai’s Pudong Airport about to board a Korean Airlines flight to Seoul. It’s not my choice to go to South Korea today. I would rather go to Japan. I actually have a ticket to Japan (Fukuoka), leaving at about the same time as my Seoul flight. But if I try to board the… Continue reading The Time I Was Denied Entry to China and How I Got In
A Shanghai Urban Hike
I deliberately chose a creaky 1920’s era hotel for my base in Shanghai, which made it all the more shocking to emerge into 21st century Shanghai. “Do you need the company of a woman?” asked a conservative-looking thirty-something woman, pacing the street outside. Today, I walked a twelve mile, somewhat random loop from… Continue reading A Shanghai Urban Hike
Eight More Maui Hikes
Last week I posted our first six Maui hikes. Since then, we’ve hiked eight more trails, ranging from gentle strolls to energetic scrambles. The photo at the top of this post shows me on a ridge section of the Halemau’u Trail, Haleakala National Park. Dwight is manning both the camera and backpack. The hike started… Continue reading Eight More Maui Hikes
My Hawaiian Junk Drawer
Hawaii has a lot going for it. Billboards are illegal, healthcare is almost universal, and the British Union Jack on the Hawaiian flag harks back to a time when these were the Sandwich Islands. Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other population in the world. You find it on “mixed plates” throughout the state, accompanied… Continue reading My Hawaiian Junk Drawer