landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoIndonesia: A Cathedral of Creativity- Symon's Art Zoo, BaliI was literally driving around Bali, on the main road which makes a ring around the island. Near the northern tip…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoChina- My 27th Birthday at the Great WallI had never really treated myself for my birthday. In fact, throughout my teens and twenties I was usually working on…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoReflections- 'When in Rome' Isn't Just a Neat IdeaSpeaking purely from the subjective perspective of a 30-s something western traveler of Southeast Asia, there are…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoLaos- Down and Out in Luang PrabangI was at the farm a few more days before getting down to the last allowed by my visa. Wresting myself from its bucolic…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoIndonesia: Nearly Shipwrecked on the Way to Nusa LembonganIt was a more or less clear day on the island of Gili Trawangan as my girlfriend and I enjoyed our English breakfast…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoVietnam- Shuffling Through Ho Chi Minh's MausoleumWith the exception perhaps of the recently departed Nelson Mandela, there are no other political leaders in modern…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoIndonesia- The Two Faces of BaliBali has historically been known as a picture-perfect postcard island ever since Westerners began strolling over its…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 6 years agoChina - Houhai, the Perfect Compliment to a Day of History Gazing in BeijingBeijing offers countless engaging sights for those interested in history, culture and art. Less often mentioned are…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoChina- Grokking the Yungang GrottoesI had spent a week in Beijing, and had soaked up the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, all the palaces and hutongs and…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoCambodia- Meta House: A Bastion of Cinema and Art in Phnom PenhMy experience travelling in places usually involves exposing myself to a great many examples of local cultural…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoHong Kong- The Seething, Careening Pace of Hong KongFor the past year I have lived in the peaceful, small, traditional and slow town of Ubud in central Bali. Ubud is…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoIndonesia- Candi Sukuh, Java's Mysteriously Mayanesque TempleThe drive itself is pretty straightforward. From Jogjakarta you head to Solo, the other capital of Javanese culture…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoTimor Leste- Passing the Afternoon on Dili's Public BusesPrior to my trip there, I had studied a bit of the history of Timor Leste, one of the youngest countries in the world.…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoCambodia- Getting a Tooth Pulled Out in Phnom PenhI had had enough. I was completely driven to the tether of my threshold of pain. This malignant force in my mouth…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoIndonesia- Nyepi: Bali's Island-Wide ExorcismAs the afternoon lingered on I started to hear more cacophony from outside my bungalow window in Ubud, hunched over my…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoReflections- How to Be a Happy TravellerIn the past several years I have learned some of the basic things that are essential for travelling well and being…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoChina- Shanghai's Propaganda Poster Art CenterI was hunting for something interesting to do in Shanghai and came across the Propaganda Poster Art Centre on the…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoVietnam- The Vietnamese Women's Museum in HanoiWe all have our odd ways of exploring new places. I like to traipse through alleyways and ride around on public buses.…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoHong Kong- A Day at the Chungking MansionsThe last time I arrived in Hong Kong, I searched the Internet to find some halfway interesting places in that city of…landof1000smiles (36)in #travel • 7 years agoIndonesia- Where No Motors Go: the Gili IslandsOne of the most common, boring themes in travel writing is a lament about places being “discovered,” thereby becoming…