Standing small among giants in Yosemite
“None can escape its charms. Its natural beauty cleans and warms like a fire, and you will be willing to stay forever in one place like a tree.” Entering Yosemite Continue reading
IN MY TIN CAN
Learning lost in an age of navigational systems
In Love with Loreto
The roads aren’t busy in Loreto, a small city on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. In fact, the town boasts just one set of traffic lights. And looking around, that may Continue reading
Want sport? This town has you covered
It was 2006 and a young Marcos Baghdatis was in the Australian Tennis Open final. Those who knew little of the player could be excused for thinking him Australian given Continue reading
Celebrity hunting TMZ style
The Celebritus Americanus (or American celebrity) is a creature hunted, studied, dissected and eventually discarded. In my tin can dons their safari gear and joins experienced trackers, TMZ, on a tour through Continue reading
Universal appeal: The show biz Capital of LA
Lights! Camera! Action! Universal Studios Hollywood is an LA icon. Since it first opened as a studio (complete with tours for just 25 cents) in 1915, and then as a Continue reading
Las Vegas: enjoy it, but not too much
I do not fear Las Vegas. Nor do I loathe it. But having just lost fifty bucks on the roulette table, and already feeling a little worse for wear, I’m Continue reading
Mt Mitake: Tokyo’s best kept secret
If you’re looking for a quiet escape from the frenzy of downtown Tokyo, Mt Mitake is the perfect place. And it probably isn’t even in your guidebook. Located in Chichibu Continue reading
Japan: a nation of iron chefs
Edamame, sushi, tempura, ramen. You probably know these dishes. But, what about natto, funazushi, chanpuru and fukagawa-meshi? Unless you immigrate to Japan (and dedicate your life to food, and little else), Continue reading
Mt Taal: a volcano within a volcano
“A lake within a volcano on a lake within a volcano.” This is how Manila resident and close friend, Wynn, described Taal Volcano and its surroundings on a recent visit Continue reading
The Filipino ‘Tree of Life’
When Bart Simpson is hopelessly stranded on an island with a bunch of school mates, he naively asks a nerdy friend to make a radio and game console out of Continue reading
All roads lead to Manila
The first thing most visitors notice when they arrive in Manila is its traffic. The Philippine capital’s roads are quite often lane-less, more often lawless, and hence nearly always chaotic. Continue reading
When slinging mud is great for business
It was a simple strategy: take out the big ones in a surprise attack, leaving the little ones ripe for a hostile takeover. I did not count on the agility, Continue reading
