When we arrived at the Podocarpus National Park in the southeast of Ecuador, the rainy season had just begun. The air was hot and moist. We had been trekking for hours in pitch darkness. And there I was, knee-deep … Read More
The grey sky was lightening up as we were racing through pine forests on a national road. I could have sworn that the soil was getting sandier, and that we were actually getting closer to the Atlantic! We … Read More
Castles have always held a hypnotic power over me. Not so long ago, Mei nurtured my obsession and tracked down one of the most naturally light-colored stone castles in the world: the Lichtenstein Castle in Baden-Württemberg, Germany’s Swabian Jura. … Read More
I can’t believe my eyes when I see the road sign “Vézelay”, as we leave the famous Grottes d’Arcy-sur-Cure. I always thought that Vézelay – the town that I know through 19th century literature – was located somewhere between … Read More
Road trips: unpredicted stops, unexpected sights, and unanticipated routes… Road tripping is like writing. You never know where the next turn/word may take you. As we are leaving the Chateau de Tanlay in Burgundy, Mei is keeping the itinerary … Read More
Mei parks our crimson crossover. Now what? I ask. Now we get out of the car. She says it with a smile. Clearly, she knows what’s waiting for us on the other side of the parapet walls topped with ruby … Read More
Lisbon. 9 am. The air is crisp and clear. We walk down the Rua da Oliveira ao Carmo, and there it is: the ruins of the Convento do Carmo. With naked arches and piers pointing loose to the sky, … Read More
It was pouring as if the world was about to end. We had to cover half a mile to reach the Guilin pier to board a boat to Yangshuo. The whole place was flooded. With dripping pants and soaked shoes … Read More
We stroll along the little colorful houses snugly jammed into one another, with carved effigies of saints over their doors. We wander through tiny back alleys and winding cobbled streets that abruptly end in one of the many canals. A fragrance … Read More