Hawaii’s Hokulea Canoe Tells Story of Polynesian Voyage

“Who were the original Hawaiians?” and “How did they get to Hawaii?” Answers can be gleaned in Honolulu by visiting the Hawaiian Maritime Center and seeing the re-created deep-sea Polynesian voyaging canoe, the Hokulea,

The Melancholy of Chile’s Easter Island

Easter Island, off the coast of Chile, presents haunting sculptures, called moai, that celebrated ancestors and became a symbol of local pride. The island, called Rapa Nui, saw a collapse of its human culture because the building of these sculptures eventually degraded the environment.

Bali, Indonesia: The Modern Spice Trade of the Spirit

Bali, an island in the spice trade archipelago of old, offers the spiritual palate of modern North American travelers something in high demand: a celebrative sense of life and a feeling of community with comrades.

Cruising the South Pacific

The entire population of the remote island of Atiu in the Cook Islands lined the shore to greet our fleet of zodiac boats from the World Discoverer cruise ship.

Cruising the Three Gorges on China’s Yangtze River

Cruising the Three Gorges section of China’s Yangtze River exposes a traveler to a stunning scenic section of the third longest river on Earth.

Vietnam Insights

A trip to Vietnam awakens a cluster of ambivalent emotions in an American traveler.

Thailand’s Potential for Insight

Thailand is one of the special countries that can enhance a traveler’s worldview in major ways. Why? Because the Thais have contributed enormously to architecture, art, Buddhistic religious thought, and the political development of Southeast Asia.

Hong Kong, China: Citizens in a Bamboo Cage

The people of Hong Kong, following the transfer of political control from Britain to China, resembled the song birds in cages so popular in China. The transition went well, and now the Hong Kong song birds are comeplling voices in the new China century.

China’s Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian

My selected route of China exploration took me to Beijing, the modern capital; Xian, the ancient capital; and Shanghai, the dynamic port city.

Indonesia Beyond Bali: Yogyakarta and Lombok Island

Though the island of Bali ranks unquestionably as the first place of interest to a traveler considering Indonesia, there are many appealing further areas to explore, starting with the great central-Java culture around Yogyakarta and the Muslim island of Lombok, adjacent to Bali.