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I’m still trying to figure out why I needed two stylists to blow-dry my hair with their duelling dryers in a Seoul salon. That’s the joy of travel. Even everyday situations can surprise. When something is “not like back home” that is to be welcomed. Anyway, here’s my list of some Korean oddities I’ve encountered… Continue reading Descending Lifelines and Other Korean Oddities

I’m in Shanghai’s Pudong Airport about to board a Korean Airlines flight to Seoul. It’s not my choice to go to South Korea today. I would rather go to Japan. I actually have a ticket to Japan (Fukuoka), leaving at about the same time as my Seoul flight. But if I try to board the… Continue reading The Time I Was Denied Entry to China and How I Got In

I deliberately chose a creaky 1920’s era hotel for my base in Shanghai, which made it all the more shocking to emerge into 21st century Shanghai.   “Do you need the company of a woman?” asked a conservative-looking thirty-something woman, pacing the street outside.   Today, I walked a twelve mile, somewhat random loop from… Continue reading A Shanghai Urban Hike

Last week I posted our first six Maui hikes. Since then, we’ve hiked eight more trails, ranging from gentle strolls to energetic scrambles. The photo at the top of this post shows me on a ridge section of the Halemau’u Trail, Haleakala National Park. Dwight is manning both the camera and backpack. The hike started… Continue reading Eight More Maui Hikes

Hawaii has a lot going for it. Billboards are illegal, healthcare is almost universal, and the British Union Jack on the Hawaiian flag harks back to a time when these were the Sandwich Islands. Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other population in the world. You find it on “mixed plates” throughout the state, accompanied… Continue reading My Hawaiian Junk Drawer

  In the past week we’ve stayed in three different parts of Maui and sampled a variety of hikes.   The most dramatic hike so far on this trip has to be Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands) Trail. It starts above the clouds, about 10,000 feet up Haleakala. The photo at the top of this post shows… Continue reading Six Maui Hikes

I started my journey around the Northern Hemisphere this morning: I walked to a number 2 bus which took me to a light rail station where I caught a train to the airport. Here’s the rest of my route: MSP–LAX–OGG (Kahului, Maui, Hawaii) OGG–HNL (Honolulu) Just one night. HNL–NRT–PVG (Shanghai) PVG–FUK (Fukuoka, Kyushu, Southern Japan) Jetfoil… Continue reading Around the World in 53 Days

Each week, I enjoy a walk or a cycle ride with a friend. This week we started at a street lined with twenty-four architectural sculptures on plinths. We had passed the end of this street many times, but had no idea these sculptures existed. Then we went on a hunt for some of the buildings depicted… Continue reading Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood: Architectural Sculptures and Actual Buildings