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 […]
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 […]
My 12 Favorite Things to do in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia – Understand Bahir Dar is Ethiopia’s fifth largest city and is located along the southern shores of scenic Lake Tana. However, Bahir Dar does not feel like a big city; it has a distinct small-town feel to it. Bahir Dar is famous for its lake […]
What to do in Gondar, Northern Ethiopia – Understand Gondar is a town of 207,044 at the northern end of Lake Tana in a scenic valley near the Simien Mountains National Park. It is known for this national park and its medieval royal ruins. The city of Gondar is everything that Bahir Dar isn’t. People […]
Torsten has asked me to post this on behalf of him. Things to do in Kampala – Understand Kampala is a city that was set up by the British – at the time, the kingdom of Buganda (which is part of today’s Uganda) was just a few thousand people. The British set up a colonial […]
If you come from Novosibirsk you may feel you just landed in a smaller version of Novosibirsk. It’s a similar setup – the river, the Soviet era buildings and the parks. However Irkutsk has more character with more old Siberian houses and a more compact city center. The city has no Soviet era wide alleys […]
Book the Four Points by Sheraton Dubai here Trip Index (what we have published so far): Cathay Pacific First Class Review – Los Angeles to Hong Kong – CX 883 Colombo, Sri Lanka – What to expect and what to do Sigiriya – What you need to know about seeing the incredible Lion's Rock in […]
Trip Index (what we have published so far): Cathay Pacific First Class Review – Los Angeles to Hong Kong – CX 883 Colombo, Sri Lanka – What to expect and what to do Sigiriya – What you need to know about seeing the incredible Lion's Rock in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Business Class Review – […]
Trip Index (what we have published so far): Cathay Pacific First Class Review – Los Angeles to Hong Kong – CX 883 Colombo, Sri Lanka – What to expect and what to do Sigiriya is an ancient palace located in the Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It […]
Where is Neuschwanstein Castle? Neuschwanstein Castle (New Swan Stone Castle in English) is a stunning 19th century Romanesque Revival palace in a fairy-tale hilltop setting above the village of Hohenschwangau in Germany’s Bavaria. Its name was derived from a Wagner opera – “The Swan Night”. Commissioned in the 1800s as a homage to Wagner by […]
This is the second largest building in the world, built on a hill just 15 minutes walk from the city center. Its opulence is truly epic and it resembles more a pyramid than an office or government building. The Romanian dictator Ceaușescu famously masterminded and directed every detail of the construction in 1984 until his […]
Bucharest's old town has retained its charm and is not yet fully overrun by tourists. It is small, partially renovated and full of coffee shops, restaurants, bars and official and old buildings. Romanians are welcoming and (not yet) jaded by big tourist groups. English is widely spoken and prices are about 50-60% less than what […]
Ever since the most recent James Bond movie Skyfall came out, I was intrigued to learn that the abandoned island actually exists in reality. While the island appears slightly different using CGI, the inspiration and scenes looking from the sailboat are much like the original Hashima Island. The isle is nicknamed Ghost Island as well […]
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