As I’ve mentioned before, this journey has been a great lesson in geography and culture, not the least of which includes the island of Borneo, which seemed like an almost imaginary place until now. It does indeed exist and on the island is the city of Kota Kinabalu, the Malaysian state capital of Sabah province,…
Continue reading →I have always loved the Japanese sense of design for its well-planned simplicity, serenity, purposefulness, and calm order. This is most evident in their gardens, one of the things I most wanted to see during my visit to the country. I spent an overcast morning touring the small village of Chiran just outside the port…
Continue reading →It is both unfortunate and important that Nagasaki is probably most remembered as a target for the atomic bomb that ended WWII. It is as much a part of the city’s fabric as the charming hilly landscape, winding sidewalks, and welcoming, friendly people. Detonated at 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, Fat Man, the name…
Continue reading →Flashing neon lights on the ceiling and colorful upholstery banners over each seat of our tour bus, embroidered with “Have a Nice Day”, were sure signs that South Korea was a happy place with friendly people. Our charming tour guide pointed out that, unlike China, sculptures and dieties in Korea were always depicted smiling and…
Continue reading →If China is a country of contrasts, Shanghai is all that in one fabulous city. And, if the architecture in Singapore is on steroids, Shanghai has overdosed. Home to the world’s second tallest building at 121 floors (first is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai), The Shanghai Tower forms a trio with it’s neighbors, the Shanghai World…
Continue reading →The weather in Xiamen is said to be generally mild year-round, but it was a rainy day when we visited this southeastern coastal city whose name means “gate of China”. It is ranked as a top port in the country and boasts trade as a main industry, along with large factories of foreign companies, and…
Continue reading →