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Oct 31

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Samarkand: Stories from an Ancient Crossroads

There are a handful of places in the world whose names are tinged with magic — faraway cities that conjure up a lost age of historic splendor. So it is with Samarkand. The mere mention of this fabled Silk Road trading hub in modern-day Uzbekistan brings to mind grand monuments, bustling markets, and caravans loaded with riches from both East and West. Samarkand has inspired its share of art and literature through the ages: it’s mentioned as the home city of Shah Zaman, one of the two fictional brother-kings who set the scene for One Thousand and One Nights. Read more

Sep 27

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Retracing the Past in Montréal

So much can change in the span of 17 years. That’s how long it takes for a newborn to reach the cusp of young adulthood, and for Switzerland, a nation of master engineers, to drill the world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel through the Alps. (That would be the remarkable 57-kilometer or 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel.) Until two months ago, the last time I visited Montréal was in the spring of 2009, when the city was just emerging from another long Canadian winter and the maple trees blanketing the slopes of Mount Royal were still naked, their branches bereft of leaves. Read more

Aug 17

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Bonjour, Québec!

Relieved we’d finally reached the top of a wooden staircase zigzagging up the slopes of Mount Royal, Bama and I hurried along the trail to join the crowd of sightseers at the stone balustrades of the Kondiaronk Belvedere. The skyline of downtown Montréal unfolded 180 meters (590 feet) below, its glass-and-steel office towers and condos gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Beyond the tall buildings and busy streets, the St. Lawrence River continued on its perpetual eastward journey from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. I’d long known I would bring Bama to Canada’s second-largest city, but up until a few months ago, I hadn’t anticipated that it would happen this summer. Read more

Jul 28

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A Fresh Perspective on Penang

You never know who you might meet on your travels. Back in February, on the first night of a weeklong assignment on the Malaysian island of Penang, I found myself sampling cocktails at a speakeasy called Backdoor Bodega. Though I was tempted to call it an early night, I couldn’t help striking up a conversation with the friendly American couple seated next to me at the counter. They told me they lived in South Carolina and were visiting on their honeymoon. Read more

Jun 1

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Ten Years in Indonesia

I’ve never been one to make a big deal out of an anniversary, but May 20 marked 10 years to the day when I left Hong Kong for a new job and a new life here in Jakarta. The milestone passed quietly while I was on assignment in Rote, a small eastern Indonesian island known for its surfing. I remember that first night after I landed, and how it felt to lie in bed as a wave of trepidation and uncertainty suddenly washed over me. It came with the stark realization of all I had left behind: family, home comforts, familiar surroundings, a city with a world-leading public transit system and easy access to the great outdoors. Then the question crossed my mind: “What am I doing?” Read more

May 25

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Sweet Escape: A Taste of Negros Occidental

I hear the procession before I see it weaving through the morning crowds. The fast, rhythmic drumbeats paired with the high-pitched blast of a whistle are sounds you might expect at a Latin American carnival. Only I haven’t left Southeast Asia at all: I’m in the Philippines, a sun-kissed island nation known for its love of song and dance, with a tapestry of cultures deeply influenced by three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. Read more

Apr 19

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Lombok through Another Lens

It’s half an hour before dawn when my photographer friend Martin Westlake and I pull into the unpaved parking lot at Mawun Beach, a near-perfect crescent of sand on the Indonesian island of Lombok. In the darkness, we can hear the waves of the Indian Ocean lapping against the shore. But the very moment we unlock the car doors and step outside, it begins to rain. Heavily. Read more

Mar 31

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Fulfilling a Long-Held Wish in Greece

This trip should have transpired a quarter-century ago. Soon after starting the new school year in the summer of 2001, my brother and I had secured coveted spots on a weeklong tour to Greece planned for that October. We were excited about the prospect of going with friends to a faraway land that had played such a major role in world history. The handful of Australian and Kiwi art teachers leading the group had put together a detailed itinerary covering Athens’ iconic Acropolis, more than a few museums, scenic and archaeological sites, and even the postcard-perfect island of Santorini. But then 9/11 happened, and, understandably, all overseas school trips were canceled. Read more

Feb 15

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Mexico City to Mérida: A Culinary Adventure

In a nondescript yellow building off the main plaza of Santa Elena, a sleepy little town on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, Doña Mirna gently set down bowls of sopa de lima on the table. There was one each for Abdiel — the blue-eyed Cuban driver who took us on day trips from the city of Mérida — Bama, and myself. Here at Restaurante La Central, we were most intrigued by this classic Yucatecan soup featuring the sweet local lime. “I also use herbs, tomatillos, guajillo chilies, and strips of chicken,” Doña Mirna said with a smile. Around us, the simple but cheery dining room reflected the grandmotherly matriarch’s heartfelt warmth. Read more

Dec 28

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A Brush with the Maldives

Anthony Bourdain once said in an episode of Parts Unknown on the Greek Islands: “My rented villa is pleasant enough. But to be perfectly honest, lonely. Is it worse to be someplace awful when you’re by yourself, or someplace really nice that you can’t share with anyone?” Read more

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