My Favorite Things to do Maldives (Male and Hulhumale) – Introduction Male is the Maldives commercial center with a population density exceeding that of Hong Kong. The capital island is now connected to the former backwater of Hulhumale by a newly built bridge that also connects both islands to the airport island. After this extension, […]
My 15 Favorite Things to do Noumea, New Caledonia – Understand Noumea is the capital of New Caledonia – a French overseas department north of New Zealand. New Caledonia is not just French in name but the whole group of islands and the city of Noumea are so French that you have to remind yourself […]
My Favorite 14 Things to do Mendoza – Understand Mendoza is right across the majestic Andes from Santiago de Chile and is an agriculture hub. Wine and olives are major exports from the region and an amazing 1,200 wineries call the region their home. Mendoza and Cordoba are the warm heart of Argentina, with more […]
My Favorite 25 Things to do Moscow – Understand Moscow is quintessential Russia – even more so than St. Petersburg; this is where all our ideas about Russia come together – foreigners and Russians alike. Moscow is a busy city and most of the Russian oil money ends up in Muscovite bank accounts and trickles down […]
My 25 Favorite Things to do Maui (Lahaina, Kihei) – Understand Maui is home to great beaches and one of the tallest craters on the Hawaiian islands. Maui has built a reputation for upscale tourism in Lahaina and Wailea, but also misses the modern city environment that Honolulu provides on the nearby island. Maui is more touristy, but […]
The Central Asia countries are often grouped together as ‘Stans. While this does not entirely do them justice, many have a similar history and a somewhat comparable culture. I just spent three weeks in Central Asia and have traveled there before. I have excluded Afghanistan and Pakistan from this guide; they both have a security […]
My 19 Favorite Things to do Las Vegas – Understand Las Vegas does not need explaining; it has managed to carve out a ‘come here and burn money like crazy in a few days‘ niche – something other cities never dared to even strive for. Development near the Las Vegas Strip is quick (and will […]
What’s the deal with the City National Crystal Visa Infinite Credit Card? You can earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend at least $5,000 in the first 90 days of owning the City National Crystal Visa Infinite card. You can redeem City National Rewards Points for airline tickets on most national and international carriers and […]
Tromsø is a surprisingly lively and developed town despite being so far north. The Radisson Blu Tromsø is located right in the center of town at the ferry terminal for busy Hurtigruten. The airport bus also stops right outside the door. You can’t beat the location. Check-in was in typical Norwegian fashion – super-fast, friendly […]
Things to do Oslo – Understand Oslo is a city with just 600,000 inhabitants but it feels much bigger and more ‘stately’ than the number suggests. Given its 60 degrees of latitude north, you may think it would be shockingly cold, but the Gulf Stream moderates winters and summers can see frequent heatwaves. Oslo a […]