He is pleased to see me. From the toothy grin that melts across his weathered face and the way he clasps his hands together in front of his heart before opening his arms to welcome me, that much is clear. I smile back, delighting for the umpteenth time in the so-called language barrier between us, … Continued
Humble prayers were made on our corner of Highpoint Drive and Windfall Lane. A family of nine, a van in neutral, coasted out of the driveway to save on gas before rolling any further past the red stop sign at the street’s end, paused momentarily in the dark. This is how I remember beginning vacations. … Continued
I have been a dreamer my entire life, whether that’s a blessing or a curse I’m still not sure. When I was in high school I found it hard to focus on homework because my mind had such a strong tendency to wander. Instead of concentrating on y=mx+b, I would be daydreaming about becoming like … Continued
Carry-ons only, one per passenger. The two-hour flight from Rome to Zurich was roughly the price of a tank of gas back home in the States. People complained about the price of fuel, we held on for dear life as we braced for the worst on this ‘budget airline’. Beneath the Zurich airport lies the … Continued
ON THE BANKS OF RIVER GANGES Rishikesh is a religious place at the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. The great river Ganga (Ganges) flows through Rishikesh. Hindus worship the Ganga and believe that its water is blessed. They also believe that taking a bath in the river Ganga can wash away all their … Continued
As kids – Vietnamese refugees in Connecticut – our parents warned us not to get too tan: “You’ll be dark like a Cambodian,” they’d sigh after we had baked outside all day. So when, decades later, I swerved into Cambodia from my Vietnam-to-Thailand path, I didn’t expect much. I wasn’t a backpacker who considered himself … Continued
I now cherish time ever since time was nearly taken away from me. I am in the passenger seat, flustered and frustrated, wondering why the driver that the bride’s father hired keeps missing the proper turns. I have to photograph this wedding and I need to be on time. I politely ask why he’s not … Continued
Miles off into the distance, atop a snow-capped mountain and beneath a clear blue sky, was a brightly colored two-story wooden Tibetan house where I was to spend my holiday week away from Beijing. I was fifteen years old. It was the winter of 1999. And I was oceans and worlds away from home – … Continued
Hi, my name is Jennifer and I am an addict. I am confident my addiction is unlikely to destroy my health or leave me without a roof over my head. My addiction is Hong Kong. How do I know this? Well, I love to travel and nothing stirs the butterflies in my stomach more than … Continued
If it weren’t for the seductive combination of moist grass and temporary sunlight, I’d be at the start of the line with a direct view of Diego Velasquez’s sculpted derrière. But I took the badly timed power nap, and now the line has gone from barely there to Black Friday. But if there was ever … Continued