Pulau Redang (or Redang Island, however you’d like to name it) is, to me, paradise. I’ve spoken before about the island and its beaches, jungles, and sea life. I’ve updated the gallery to add photos from September 2019.
Beautiful surroundings
Latest
Back in Kuala Lumpur
KL was just begging for a return visit. This humid city has what I want in a big city: iconic architecture, great food, appealing local culture and friendly people. Things are changing in KL. There is construction everywhere; two of the world’s tallest buildings are currently rising above the existing canopy. There’s not much else I can add from a previous write up here, just that I’m fond of this place, a truly underrated metropolis if there ever was one. Updated gallery here.
Grand Forks: A Very, very short take.
A small prairie city in the far north of continental America, Grand Forks is perhaps far from remarkable. Mostly. For many Canadians just to the north, it’s known for big box stores and a shopping mall for cross boarder shopping. But there’s surprisingly a bit more to see here.
This little agricultural hub started out as a French fur trading post, Les Grandes Fourches, just like it’s Canadian neighbors too the north. Settlers came in droves at the turn of the 20th century, creating a sizeable downtown area that to this day still houses impressive, historic facades from that era. The city made world headlines during the flood of 1997 with a large downtown fire and one of the largest evacuations in American history. Now recovered and arguably stronger than ever, here is a very, very short look at Grand Forks. LINK
Maui – Hawaii
Three thousand kilometers from the nearest major land mass, the Hawaiian islands are place of isolation, beauty, and extremes. Featuring arid coastlines, tropical rain-forests, active volcanoes and alpine summits – it’s a rare place where you can see a snapshot of our planet in a single day. In the middle of the ocean, technically belonging more to Polynesia, this is a strange place to find the 50th state to join the United States of America. Naturally, it doesn’t always feel like the America. Culturally Hawaii has its own identity, its own customs, and of course its own struggles with colonization. Today just 10% of the state population is ethnic Hawaiian.
This is a photo gallery of Maui, one of the 4 main islands of Hawaii. It’s easily accessible internationally, has great weather year round, and does a good job at representing the things that make Hawaii special.
Clink this link for the full gallery!
The northern shore.
There aren’t many roads north of Lake Superior, nor many towns or people. This is a rugged land, with dense spruce forests, thousands of lakes, and the jagged exposed bedrock from which the Canadian Shield gets its name. Lake Superior, the world’s largest lake, is the prime attraction of a road journey through Northern Ontario. It’s a beautiful, isolated place. Have a look at the gallery through this Link.
Naples: The virtue of a magnificence lost
300 years ago, Naples was one of the largest cities in Europe. A millennia earlier, it was already an influential Greco-Roman port. In the 19th century, Naples fell from grace, leaving behind churches, castles, and archaeological ruins that span the history of modern civilization.
Today Naples is perhaps the most raw city in all of Italy, well known for both its impressive collection historic sights as well as its grittiness. The narrow, checkerboard street plan hasn’t changed much in 300 years, and offer an authentic, engulfing perspective in to the classic urban fabric of one of the world’s early metropolises.
Click here for the gallery.
Ischia, Italy
Ischia is one of the lesser known volcanic islands off Italy’s western coast. It has a long history dating back to at least the Bronze Age, as a Greek island. Throughout it’s turbulent history, Ischia was occupied by empires from all across the Mediterranean, though today, it is distinctly Italian. The countryside landscapes are stunning, the towns are loud, crowded, and bustling. There is no shortage of seafood, wine, and pasta. The most spectacular sight, aside from the cliffs and ocean views, is Castello Arogonese, a massive medieval castle complex that was built imposingly on the water adjacent to the island’s main town.
A day in Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg is a historic marvel of a city on the Rhine, and capital of Alsace in eastern France. The city center is remarkably well preserved, almost entirely pedestrian-only, and home to one of Europe’s great feats in architecture. The Strasbourg cathedral is the city’s most famous sight: it took 400 years to build, completed at the peak of the Gothic architecture style, and stood as the tallest building on earth for over two centuries. Strasbourg is a city of canals and half timber houses, a bridge between Germany and France, and one of the seats of the European Union.
It’s a rewarding day trip from Paris, Frankfurt, or Stuttgart by car or by rail. Even just a few hours to explore the city center, climb the cathedral, and try some flambée is worthwhile if you ever get the chance.
Stuttgart
Perhaps not as well known as some of Germany’s other big centers, Stuttgart is one of the four main metropolitan areas of the country – and also sits in the center of mainland Europe. The area is known for many things, to some its the green forested hills of the surrounding Black Forrest, to others it’s known the cradle of the automobile – home to Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, and Porsche. Historically part of many kingdoms and states, the region is full of palaces and castles of dynasties of the past and present. Stuttgart is a great place to see Germany, the grand and the charming, the old and the new.
Click here to see the updated Stuttgart gallery.
Berlin
Berlin is an edgy, often striking city that sat at the epicenter of some of the 20th century’s defining (and darkest) moments. I’ve always found it a city that is difficult to describe, and sometimes even difficult to enjoy: it’s often as emotionally draining as it is enriching. It’s a huge city spanning vastly different neighborhoods thanks to its historical division, with more museums and monuments than any city its age. Much of post-war Berlin isn’t what you’d call charming, but it’s certainly alluring, and a very, very powerful storyteller. Head straight to the Gallery here. 
