BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR



HERE'S TO 2015
FILLED WITH TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE!!!




YEAR IN PHOTOS 2014


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Island-Hopping the South Pacific

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Island-Hopping the South Pacific: New Caledonia, Mystery Island, and Dravuni Island The South Pacific has always held a certain magic for me — a mix of wild beauty, rich cultures, and that irresistible laid-back island vibe. On a recent trip, I had the chance to experience three incredible destinations: New Caledonia, Mystery Island in Vanuatu, and Dravuni Island in Fiji. Each place offered something unforgettable, from cultural discoveries to lazy days in crystal-clear waters. Mystery Island, Vanuatu Nouméa, New Caledonia: A Touch of France in the Pacific My journey began in Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, where French influence blends seamlessly with Melanesian heritage. Of course, the waters were every shade of blue I had dreamed about — perfect for snorkeling and swimming. But beyond the beaches, Nouméa surprised me with its culture and history. I visited Coconut Palm Square , home to the Celeste Fountain , built in 1892 — a lovely, shaded place that felt like a little E...
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The Banaue Rice Terraces: A Living Cultural Landscape

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My interest in exploring the northern part of the Philippines started from looking at a piece of art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California.   Among the display of ceramics and pottery engraved with gold and other decorative stuff,  a wooden carving of a male figure squatting on a platform with the lower arms on top of each other, resting upon his knees, caught my eye.  According to the docent, the wooden sculpture was called "Bului" which literally means "granary guardian" in the "Ifugao" tribe dialect. The carved wooden sculpture was set on a platform on top of another platform, a mortar.   Our docent explained the significance of the wooden mortar (which was used with the pestle, to separate the husk from the rice, sort of rice mill) and linked the story to the Rice Terraces in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines built 2000 years ago by the “Ifugao” tribe. So two years and three hundred kilometers north of Manila later, we explo...
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Ethiopia: Axum, the Cradle of Ancient Civilization

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Chapter 6: Axum, Cradle of Ancient Civilization  After days of winding mountain roads, rugged landscapes, and stone castles that felt pulled straight out of legend, we finally reached Axum. This wasn’t just another stop on our Ethiopian journey—it felt like stepping directly into the heartbeat of history. Ethiopia calls itself the Land of Origins, and in Axum, I understood why. With more than 2,500 years of history, Axum was once the capital of an empire that traded with Rome, India, and Arabia. Its name alone carries the weight of myth, faith, and mystery. Most famously, Axum is believed to guard one of the greatest treasures in religious history: the Ark of the Covenant. The Church of St. Mary of Zion The Stelae of Axum Our first stop was the Stelae Fields, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These towering granite obelisks are unlike anything I’ve seen before. Some stretch nearly 20 meters high, carved from a single piece of stone, their faces etched with windows and doors as tho...
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