Most travelers interested in traveling around Southeast Asia have heard of Sapa, Vietnam—an area showcased by incredible photos of lush green rice fields terraced on the side of mountains, and colorful local ethnic minority women and men working the rice fields. Sapa has long been on the popular traveler’s route from Hanoi in the north …
Nepal is the home of Mount Everest, ancient cities and kingdoms, and a country that was shut away from foreign visitors up until 1951. After the regime of isolation ended in the 50s, just two short years later two mountaineers summited Mount Everest and brought the Himalayas of Nepal to international fame. If you’re planning …
Singapore has earned a reputation as an expensive stopover destination, but truthfully, it is so much more. It has a rich and diverse culture that can be explored all throughout the city. The food is among both the most affordable and most delicious cuisines in the world. Locals in Singapore are friendly, the public transport system is …
About 350 km away from the tech-city of Bengaluru lies the hippie land of Hampi. The underdeveloped villages leading to the ruins at Hampi makes it difficult to believe that once upon a time this used to be one of the most prosperous cities in the world. A trip to Hampi is like stepping into …
Traveling to Papua New Guinea is like exploring the last frontier. It might sound cliche; it’s not. Papua New Guinea is one of the less-visited countries in the world. The road system is limited, the tourist infrastructure still developing, and the safety a primary concern. However, the country is home to rich forests and jungles, …
I’ve been in Tel Aviv for two days now. It is a very different city than Jerusalem. For starters, I haven’t seen a single Orthodox Jew here. Zero. Everything here is much more laid back and secular than Jerusalem. In addition to a very large beach area, it also seems very artsy. Some of the …
From the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range World Heritage Inscription: Set in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, three sacred sites—Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan—linked by pilgrimage routes to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, reflect the fusion of Shinto, rooted in …
From the World Heritage inscription for Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan”: Situated on the eastern bank of the River Jordan, nine kilometers north of the Dead Sea, the archaeological site consists of two distinct areas: Tell Al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah’s Hill) and the area of the churches of Saint John the …
From the World Heritage inscription: Cultural Landscape of Bali: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy forms an acultural landscape of five rice terraces and their water temples that cover 19,500 hectares. The temples are the focus of a cooperative water management system of canals and weirs, known as subak, …