Bhaktapur — Nepal’s Ancient City the Tourist Buses Skip
Bhaktapur is the best-preserved medieval city in the Kathmandu Valley. A guide to its three squares, the Nyatapola Temple, and why it is worth more than a quick stop.
Patan (Lalitpur) — The Kathmandu Valley’s City of Bronze and Beauty
Patan is the finest of the three royal cities in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley — extraordinary Newari bronze workshops, the best museum in Nepal, and a Durbar Square that survived the 2015 earthquake remarkably intact.
Pokhara, Nepal — Where the Quality of Life Seems Almost Unfair
Two months living in Pokhara: what it costs, how it feels, and why this lakeside city under the Himalayas is one of Asia’s best long-stay destinations.
The Mardi Himal Trek: Pokhara’s Secret Mountain Path
The Mardi Himal trek is one of Nepal’s most beautiful and least-known routes — a ridge walk above 4,000m with unobstructed Annapurna views and almost no crowds.
Penang and the Slow Asian Heritage I Keep Coming Back To
George Town, Penang — a UNESCO city of shophouses, clan houses, street art, and the best food in Malaysia by a mile. After two visits in the same year, here is what makes Penang the multicultural Asian heritage town most travellers skip.
Okinawa in December — Subtropical Japan, Ryukyu Culture, and a Quiet Year-End
My first introduction to Japan was not Tokyo or Kyoto — it was five days in Okinawa in December 2018 with Natha. Subtropical island weather, Shuri Castle, Churaumi Aquarium, goya champuru, awamori, and the half-not-Japan culture of the old Ryukyu Kingdom.
Kathmandu in the Monsoon: My Second Himalayan Experience
Arriving in Kathmandu in July monsoon — Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, the Monkey Temple, and the Himalayas. My first Nepal trip and why I came back for three months.
Yunnan and Lijiang — A Return to China Through Naxi Country
Five days, 749 photos, three cities — Kunming, Dali, Lijiang. After a decade away from China, the southwestern province of Yunnan is the version of China I would visit first again. Naxi culture, mountain food, and a UNESCO old town that still wakes up at dawn.
Palio Khao Yai
Palio Khao Yai Palio is an Italian style village located in Khao Yai. It’s about 10 km from the main gate to …
Hoi An in Dry Season — Why I Always Tell People to Time This One Right
Hoi An is one of the most beautiful small towns in Asia — in dry season. In wet season it floods. February to early May is the sweet spot. A 2014 dry-season visit, plus the food (cao lau, mi quang), the Marble Mountains, My Son ruins, and why timing matters more than the guidebook says.