A Tale of Two Citadels
He was the best of figures, he was the worst of figures. Vlad Dracul the Impaler, illustrative figure from Romanian history, and Hollywood cliche. The man himself deserves another post, but where do… Continue reading
Tag Archive: tourism
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King’s Day Anyway
The Dutch sky hadn’t decided if it was going to rain or not when I snuck out of the hotel around six in the morning. The student staff of the best hotel in… Continue reading
Feasting in the university library, Morelia
Enchiladas in green tomatillo sauce with just the right amount of heat. Or tacos al pastor on tortillas so fresh you can almost see the handprints in the masa harina, perhaps from the… Continue reading
Are you a peach or a coconut?
Belgians were a bunch of coconuts. Latin America was one big peach orchard. And I don’t know what the hell I am. The metaphor is new to me, but I heard the idea… Continue reading
Everybody loves Manali
The voices were unanimous. “Go to Manali!” all said, then half added “And bring us back some hash!” But I was less interested in the sticky brown stuff than I was in the… Continue reading
Everybody hates Shimla
The expats and wealthier Indians I talked to were unanimous. From a bewildered “Shimla? Why are you going there? Just on your way to someplace better, right?” to the more succinct “Shimla sucks”… Continue reading
Tam Coc Bich Dong is even better than it sounds
The swarm of tourists, cameras around necks, visors against the sun, umbrellas against the rain, and socks up to the knees beat me to the entrance. Crud. But they milled a moment, waiting… Continue reading
A gift from a fellow traveler
It was another vacation weekend. Sitting on the beach with two of my favorite people, my telephone far away, unchecked, the madness of the modern moment unimportant before the relentless majesty of an… Continue reading
Things got a bit Biblical in Hoi An, Viet Nam
Nobody bombed Hoi An. North Vietnam, South Vietnam, even the Americans in their flying fortresses decided the ancient port city of the Champa Empire with its softly Southeast Asian old town and 16th… Continue reading
Trekking in Sapa, and a moment everyone who’s done it will remember
“Oh my god, she’s the cutest thing EVER!” cried Megan, one of the two other tourists besides myself following our local guide down the mountainside of Sapa, Vietnam. “I want to take her… Continue reading
