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photo: courtesy Wikicommons Java: Jakarta and Carita I had the opportunity to explore the seething 10 million-strong metropolis of Jakarta for a few days recently. I managed to fit in a few massages. Spas

If you want cheap and plentiful massage spas, Taiwan will not make it easy. Although I’m not an expert on the country, and I only had a week there, in general, I had a tough time finding a decent massage

Cat Stevens' hit version: One of Cat Steven’s most popular hit songs from the 1970s is the beautiful ‘Morning has Broken.’ The song’s lyrics are uplifting and meaningful and, accompanied by the gorgeous

It looks like a slightly over-sized hockey puck or a maybe a round hunk of cheese in a metal container. A closer inspection reveals a windup key on its side, like something from a clockwork toy. But what

There are over 40,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand but one stands out from all the rest. This one is pure white! ‘Wat Rong Khun,’ as the White Temple is more properly called, looks like it has been freshly

Source: animals.wiki.com The Narwhal’s most obvious feature is the male’s marvelous spiralled tusk that juts out of the left side of its upper jaw. It’s variously described as a canine or incisor so, like

In the quiet Kampot region of southeast Cambodia grows what could very well be the world’s best pepper – by far! The pepper is levels above anything you might find in the grocery store. It’s so good that,

‘Pignose,’ ‘McDougall’s Folly,’ Whaleback.’ There was no shortage of uncomplimentary names for the ungainly lake freighter that appeared on the Great Lakes in 1888. Some said it was an awkward half-sunk

When I needed some aerial photographs recently, I decided to try an ‘old school’ method – by flying a kite. After a bit of research, I purchased an inexpensive delta wing kite with a wing span of about

Bui Vien is the main backpacker tourist area in District 1 in ‘Ho Chi Minh City’ (Saigon). It’s sort of an equivalent to Kao San Road in Bangkok or Pub Street in Siem Reap. There are many inexpensive

Collecting cigarette cards was a very popular hobby in the first half of the 20th century. Many cigarette manufacturers included illustrated cards inside the packages. Subject matter ranged widely from

Entrance to Ta Prohm Among the hundreds of temples that make up the vast Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia, one of the must-see sites is ‘Ta Prohm.’ The 12th century Buddhist temple is famous for its incredible

Birdstones have been long prized by art and artifact collectors. Many consider these exquisitely beautiful stones to be the pinnacle of prehistoric North American art. Their sensuously smooth lines and

“You want to climb to the top of a wind turbine?” asks Mark, one of the wind farm technicians. “One of them is down for maintenance today so here’s your chance!” My mind races through some excuses: it’s

Vintage pipe with attached lanyard In my rambunctious childhood years, ‘Pipe Down!’ was a command I heard all too frequently from my parents. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that the phrase

As temperatures rise, formerly frozen landscapes are turning to mud! But here in South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic, and home to half a million King Penguins, mud is a normal part of their

Upon your arrival in Myanmar (Burma), you’ll soon notice something very odd. Just about every female, from youngest child to oldest grandmother, is wearing a strange creamy paste on her face. And several

In mankind’s 40,000 years of beadmaking, one design stands out as the ‘king’: the Venetian Chevron. This highly coveted bead is named for the repeated ‘V’ shape pattern on its ends. The first chevrons

I must admit I was a bit apprehensive at the idea of an ex-convict massaging me but the reviews online were good so I decided to give it a try. There are several places where you can try ex-prisoner or

Johannes Vermeer's iconic 1665 painting of 'A Girl with a Pearl Earring' has been copied in paint and photography many times but that didn't stop me from taking a crack at it myself. My 14-year old niece,