As mentioned in my Dubrovnik, Croatia post, during one of my days in the Balkans/Dalmatian Coast, I opted to book a full day tour to visit neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically to see the beautiful city of Mostar. A day trip or tour from Dubrovnik to visit Bosnia is well worth it if you do…
Category: History
Exploring the World through Food with Gastronomic Traveler
Happy New Year to all!! Cautiously optimistic that by the end of this year things will begin to show signs of return to normalcy and we can hopefully all begin to hit the road to explore the wonders of the world again! I figured I’d start the new year with a post less about a…
Review: Jakes Hotel Treasure Beach, Jamaica
Over Thanksgiving 2020 I spent a week in Jamaica. It was a fantastic and relaxing time, wherein some impressive COVID Protocols were adhered to by the two hotels I chose to stay at. I spent 4 nights on the North Shore in Oracabessa at Goldeneye then I spent 3 nights on the South Shore in…
Review: Goldeneye Resort, Oracabessa, Jamaica
Over Thanksgiving holidays in 2020 I made the decision to fly down to Jamaica. This was after extensive research with regards to COVID, from entry requirements to what hotels were doing. I also took all necessary precautions, testing 72 hours before departure (despite the official Jamaican policy that allows for tests within 10 days, which…
Guide to Matsu Islands, Taiwan: another must
Matsu Islands 馬祖列島 On the far east coast of the Taiwan Strait, just off the coast of China’s Fuzhou city lies the Matsu Islands, and archipelago consisting of primarily 5 inhabited islands. It is part of Taiwan. While not as close to China as Kinmen, it is still very close and you can see the…
Guide to LanYu, Orchid Island, Taiwan: The most unique outer island
This post is a continued catch up post of the various trips and “re-discoveries” I had in Taiwan during my 6 months COVID hideout there. I had previously posted about Green Island. At the end of August 2020 I had a chance to venture out to the other Southeastern outer island, one of Taiwan’s most remote…
Bread, Cognac, and Plov On the Silk Road: Discovering Uzbekistan
In times like these where we are mostly locked indoors and confined to our homes, for me catching up on my blogging and revisiting recent trips has been quite therapeutic. Hopefully this gives you a small dose to cure any wanderlust itch you may be feeling and maybe inspire your post-COVID19 travels, if travel is…
Discovering Nepal with Beyul Experiences and Happy House
Note: This post is longer and more descriptive/detailed than my usual posts. For general Nepal travel tips, scroll to the bottom. “Most foreigners are familiar with the Sherpas only through their fame as load bearers and guides for mountaineering expeditions, yet such work is a recent and superficial aspect of their culture. When we put…
24 Hours in Oslo, Norway
In early November my friend and I ventured out to Oslo, Norway for a short weekend getaway. Oslo is a beautiful city and the gateway to Norway’s fantastic natural wonders. However, winter travels in Oslo makes for limited museum hours and early sunsets, and it is evident Oslo is used by travelers as a start…
24 Hours in a City of Contrasts: Baku, Azerbaijan
Introduction and Food for Thought The Lonely Planet guide to Baku put it the best, “Azerbaijan’s capital Baku (or Bakı in Azeri) is the architectural love child of Paris and Dubai…albeit with plenty of Soviet genes floating half-hidden in the background.” The secular Sunni Islamic country has seen Medieval times with the Shirvanshah dynasty (an…
Vinegar, Noodles and Banks: PingYao Ancient City, Shanxi, China
In August I ventured to PingYao Ancient City located in the Shanxi Province of China. PingYao has one of, if not the only, best preserved walled cities from the Ming/Qin Dynasties. It is also where China’s banking system first began. It is also home to the best and most fully preserved Ming Dynasty government centers/…
24 Hours in Bruges, Belgium and Hotel Van Cleef
Hello, Finally catching up on some blogging after slacking for a couple of months. Over Martin Luther King Day three-day weekend, I ventured back to Belgium to explore the country’s famed and relatively untouched medieval gothic cities. Over the three day weekend I visited both Bruges and Ghent. Bruges stole my heart, it is beautiful,…
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