Raise your hand if you've heard of Jim Thompson. Now that I've visited his museum in Bangkok, I'm wondering why Tom Hanks hasn't played him. The mystery surrounding his life and death is that good. Thompson was a World War II veteran and intelligence officer who was...
The four of us have agreed: We're going back to Southeast Asia. It's a long way from Kentucky to the Mekong, but what's 24 hours in aisle seats and airports when the other side of the world awaits? Two couples spent two weeks in three countries in January, including a...
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore once called the Taj Mahal a teardrop that glistened "spotlessly bright on the cheek of time." I felt these romantic sentiments accurately captured the delicate beauty of the great Taj Mahal. It all began with a love story, which I...
I think elephant might be my new favorite mode of travel. You get to enjoy the scenic view while being gently rocked as if in a boat on calm waters. Plus, elephants are extremely cute, which beats out many other modes of transportation. On my last full day of touring...
How can a building stay snow white for centuries? By using some of India's stain-free white marble. This is how the Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah in Agra still looks new after almost 400 years. The use of white marble, carved stone screens and colorful wall designs...
"If you want to experience the sights, the sounds and the smells of "real" India all at once, the best way is a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi," said Anil Bahal, my India tour director. So on my first day of touring India with Globus Tours, I climbed into a tiny...
This afternoon, I'll board a plane in Shanghai and begin the 30-hour trip home. I leave China with a wealth of memories and images. We've seen and done so much more than I've had the opportunity to blog about here. So as a farewell gift, here are some of my other...
So far, I've written a lot about China's history, its imperial dynasties and how that heritage shows up in modern Chinese life. Today, though, we took a welcome break from history lessons to explore the Shanghai Museum, a free public institution that houses some of...
We've enjoyed a number of over-the-top meals here in China, including hosted dinners last night in Xi'an and tonight in Shanghai. Chris Lee, owner of China Plus USA, is very well respected here in China, and so when he brings a FAM tour on a visit, his tourism friends...
For tourists, Xi'an is best known as the home of the terra cotta warriors. Discovered by local farmers digging a well in the 1970s, the terra cotta warriors are part of the massive grave complex of Qin Shihuang, an emperor who ruled around 220 B.C. Previously,...
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