Taking a cooking class in another country, exploring the cuisine of a foreign land, is a treat. Having a private lesson in an open-air kitchen, cooking the finest of Lao cuisine, is an experience. Luang Prabang is a small city in Laos, whose borders were established by France in 1893. Sandwiched between the expansionist governments of Thailand and Vietnam, Laos …
Married in Thailand!
AliSun and I had a beautiful ceremony yesterday in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A few photos and stories to come. May your lives be as blessed as ours are.
My Gratitude To The Hong Dynasty
Dear Hani, Andrew, Aunt Ten and Ms. Hong – AliSun and I are deeply blessed. What began as a hazy sketch of a trip to Asia a year ago crystallizes in a beautiful celebration of family under the starry skies of the Vietnamese coast. The invitation is a delight. Saw your itinerary, writes Hani. Andrew and I are celebrating our …
A View From the Window: Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne, Vietnam
I am sitting behind the hinged door on the right side of the 32 seat bus. Friends, family and luggage are piled in as we leave Aunt Ten’s condo in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 2. We head due east to Mui Ne, on the coast of Vietnam. We gather to celebrate the birthdays of newlyweds Hani and Andrew, conveniently …
Skirting The Storm: KIX-HKG-BKK On The Back of Heiyan
Three days prior to leaving Japan, I scroll through the news. One story catches my eye – biggest storm ever in all of recorded history to slam into the Philippines. Here’s how to help victims of Haiyan / Super Typhoon Yolanda. In addition to feelings of compassion and helplessness for the Filipinos trapped in the storm’s path, and a mumble …
Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera and beyond
We walk south, through a city that is only just awakening. The great Buddhist temples are complexes, filled with shrines, gardens, private living areas, ceremonial spaces, blessing shops and food stands. We enter Yasaka Shrine, then Murayama Park, onward south through the amazing Higashiyama district. Shopkeepers roll up their doors, sweep their porches, stock their displays. Many stores and restaurants …
Kyoto’s Cafe Du Mon
Across the street from the east gate of Daitoku-ji Temple sits Cafe Du Mon, an amazing little gem of a restaurant. A fusion of Japanese, French and Italian cuisine creates a unique palette of flavors and textures, each dish more striking and intriguing than the last.
A View of Kurama-dera Temple
I snapped this panoramic photo at Kurama-dera Temple today, about an hour north of Kyoto in the mountains. Can you spot the birthday girl? Happy birthday, AliSun Trees!
Gettin’ There: KIX to Osaka
One week from today. We leave Anahola early in the morning, hop a half hour plane from Lihue to Honolulu (LIH-HNL), tough out a long haul to Seoul (HNL-ICN) and finish up with a short flight to Osaka (ICN-KIX). OK, toughing it out is a stretch – we’re flying business class HNL-ICN-KIX (95,000 United miles and $84 in taxes). Two …
The Hana Lava Tube. Yes, I Said Lava Tube
We are traveling through another dimension on the road to Hana, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead—our next stop, the Hana Lava Tube. Lava in and of itself, is ridiculously cool, right? It is, after all, molten rock …