Hoi An is one of the prettiest cities in Vietnam: recognized by UNESCO as an exceptionally well-preserved Asian trading port, the riverfront buildings are colorful and diverse examples of 19th- and 20th-century French-influenced...
"It's just so beautiful!" I exclaimed, thinking about the endless sky filled with billowing clouds, the wildflowers and orchards lining the one-way stretch of freeway, the stacked layers of the buttes. Grabbing a drink with a former professor, I was...
After two winters in a row last year--granted, they were California and Australian winters, so no snow was involved--I am more than OK with chasing summer this year. After plenty of beach weather in Australia and Southeast Asia, I'm planning to make...
Every once in a while, I surprise myself and willingly break away from beaches for a chilly, cloudy destination. Exploring Ke Bang National Park was one such adventure: renowned for having some of the oldest, largest caves in the world, the region...
When I think of cities surrounded by walls and moats, I think France in the Middle Ages (i.e. Avignon). I certainly don't think of 19th-century Vietnam.
But the Imperial City of Hue was constructed in 1802, its ruin only amplified by American...