As you walk past the colorful houses lining the cobblestone streets, you're immediately aware that San Juan is a city brimming with history. The architecture reminds me of my time in Portugal, apart from its iconic tiles. The unincorporated archipelago of Puerto Rico may technically be a territory … [Read more...] about Photo Essay: Iconography in Old San Juan
Life and Times of Ho Chi Minh
Before deciding to go to Vietnam, I could have told you little to nothing about the man known as Ho Chi Minh. I knew he was once a chef and spent time overseas before returning to his home country and ushering it into the modern and Communist age. But until turning up at the Ho Chi Minh … [Read more...] about Life and Times of Ho Chi Minh
Beng Mealea: The Temple That Almost Wasn’t
Beng Mealea is one of Siem Reap's lesser visited temples and was long so for good reason: land mines set up by the Khmer Rouge. Only a few people had visited the temple before its mines were cleared in the last decade and those who did faced a painful death if they took the wrong steps. And … [Read more...] about Beng Mealea: The Temple That Almost Wasn’t
Mui Ne’s Red Sand Dunes
I'd seen pictures of the otherworldly landscape of the sand dunes in Mui Ne prior to arriving in Vietnam. It seemed odd that a town without much to offer in terms of attractions would be home to two massive sand dunes. The White Sand Dunes are located about an hour out of town, while the Red Sand … [Read more...] about Mui Ne’s Red Sand Dunes
Where Uncle Ho Meets Mother Russia
I had been forewarned about the number of Russian visitors to Vietnamese beach towns like Nha Trang and Mui Ne, but it was different seeing it firsthand. Upon sitting down at a restaurant, the waiter assesses you to determine if you speak English or Russian. Usually we were handed Russian menus … [Read more...] about Where Uncle Ho Meets Mother Russia