Hong Kong has been like I always dreamed, a fantastcally modern post-colonial ancient and present global trading city-state home to millions, ancestral to almost none. Exploring it has been fabulously easy: it’s compact; well-run, highly-signed, multi-lingual, proud but inviting; future-focused; friendly and all around ideal city to visit. The direct 15 hour flight [...]

In my twenties I suffered from extreme bouts of wanderlust. I could scarcely live in the same place for a year before I would be aggrieved by daily flare-ups of desire to expand my perspective on the world, humanity and myself.
In Indonesia it’s very common for complete strangers to greet each other on the road [...]

Last night I went to Paris and watched a couple I never met confront their decision to end their 15 year marriage. They still laughed at each other’s jokes, had lifetimes of care for the other and were considered ‘Un Couple Parfait’ by their friends. It was very clear to me this couple could just [...]

I was pleased about being invited to be ‘blogger’ for the SF Int’l Film Fest (thru May 4th), mostly because it will allow me (or force me) to watch a flurry of movies set in other cultures, told in other narrative styles based upon different cinematic tastes. Family, life, marriage, death, meaning, lonliness are universal, [...]

The other day I got an email from Schmap, a clever service that aggregates user-submitted travel guide details and then ads related photos licensed under creative commons that they find on flickr. They take usage right seriously and seek explicit permission for using photos and fastidiously uphold the posting of author details next [...]

Death Valley is assuredly a place that is impossible to imagine without having experienced in your own skin. An early settler is quoted as describing it as “20 miles from water, 30 miles from wood, 40 feet from Hell.” Even with today’s 1,000 spot RV campground, gas stations and radiator water spiggots, one does not [...]

  
Backcountry snowboarding is one of my great pleasures. It combines a top-ten passion - hiking in the mountains - and a top-three passion - snowboarding. California’s High Sierras offer dozens of peaks that hold snow past Memorial Day and more than a handful that reach 12,000 and higher will have snow cover well into July. [...]

My pet project Dogster was awared a Webby for Best Internet Community and we went to NYC to pick it up. I know for certain there are better community site, many of them in fact, but if the judges wanted to pick us, we’ll take it! It was really nice being there and getting kudos [...]

I grew up 45 minutes north of Manhattan. Everytime I go back it’s like walking through a classic theme and variation symphony. As much the same as it is different.
MGL and I got to visit for 4 city and suburban days. Pictures were taken. The Barry McGee show (perhaps you know him as [...]

MGL and I are in London for 3 days. Brilliant! Snappies.