The Philippines was never on my short list, but I found a cheap ticket from Tokyo to Manila and I’m glad I had a chance to visit. The people here are very friendly and relaxed. I’m staying in a beautiful neighborhood full of parks, high-rise commercial buildings, and great restaurants. The Philippines seems underrated as a tourist destination — among its 7,641 islands are a lot of gorgeous beaches and it’s very cheap to travel here.
Continue reading
On Friday, I left magical Japan after three weeks there with my sister, Laura. I’ve written a lot about Japan during previous visits, and this trip was re-visiting a lot of what I loved. https://kimmie53.com/category/japan/ So I decided to write a single post with a few captioned photos. Like a lazy writer writing for lazy readers. Good for everyone.
Continue reading
I know, I know, you’re not going to North Korea! But maybe you are interested in a little about my experience there in April 2012. It was the week of Kim Jung Un’s investiture as Supreme Leader, with celebrations and military parades. It was an incredible learning experience and, as usual, there is more to the story than we get from politicians and mainstream media.
Continue reading
We’re in Abu Dhabi on the sparkling Arabian Gulf, about 100 miles from Dubai. Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world and it shows. Glittering high rises, extreme theme parks, two giant palaces, and one of the world’s largest and most opulent mosques.
Continue reading
After a few days in Samarkand, we left for Bukhara. Like Samarkand, Bukhara is full of ancient Arabic architecture and was an important stop on the Silk Road. Today, it’s also an important cultural center, which !ding ding ding! means traditional folk art. Thanks to our delightful tour guide, Zafar, we’ve seen a lot of it and some is surprising
Continue reading
We’re in Uzbekistan and it’s true that we are all millionaires here! That’s because a million Uzbekistan som equals about $80 US. For newcomers, doing the numbers can be tough when you are going through a wad of bills to pay for your $9 lunch. It’s a lot of zeros!
Continue reading
This week, we are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We had a few false starts! We arrived with no place to stay thanks to an AWOL Airbnb host, and spent our first night in a hotel room that smelled like…ick. The next day, we showed up for a design workshop that turned out to be 1200 miles away in Dubai. It’s been smoggy, hot, and humid.
Jeddah isn’t what most would consider a tourist destination, and yet there has been a lot here for us, including some things that we maybe didn’t expect.
Continue reading
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my travels, it’s that I should ask questions before I assume I have answers. A lot of what we think we know about the world is untrue, part true, or out of context. Although the whole truth about anything is beyond our reach, I wanted to know more about Saudi Arabia. So far, the people are warm and friendly, the landscape is dramatic, and the region is full of history.
Continue reading
Camino Milagro 