When wandering through temples anywhere in Asia, it’s not unusual to stumble across some sort of celebration, ceremony or ritual as it carries on. Used to tourists, those participating carelessly overlook those slinking around, hugging the walls and doorways. But there was something different about the atmosphere and its undeniable activity swirling through the Hindu temple – one of the oldest in Malaysia – at the base of Kuala Lumpur’s famous … [Read more...]
Cuisine Minceur: Eat, Pay, More
John M. Edwards explores the popular Foodie movement of “Cuisine Minceur” (small food), invented in Les Landes, France, wherein gullible gourmands counting calories get much less food for much more money. . . . I feel sorry for the people who use the term “FOODIE.” It is a term less about the ends justifying the means and more about just being mean. Whenever I hear the euphemism, I flinch involuntarily, as when your PC (“pretend … [Read more...]
What to do in Seoul
When traveling to East Asia Western tourists often hawk to Tokyo or cities in China, not to mention Hong Kong, which attracts an astonishing 50 million visitors per year. Largely left off the itinerary is Seoul, acting often as a stopover point (which is appropriate, as Incheon Airport has been named the best airport in the world.) But tourism in South Korea is gaining traction. It’s repeatedly been voted the world’s most wanted travel … [Read more...]
Lizard Island, Remote Luxury
Arrival You are on a 10-seater looking out of the window. The azure waters glisten out of the side windows with spectacular coral reefs coming into view as the plane steadily makes its way to a small island in the Coral Seal - in the far northern reaches of Queensland. This tiny chunk of land is named Lizard Island and was named so by captain James Cook in 1770 after he climbed to the highest point of the island to look for a passage through … [Read more...]
Spain: Help, Help me Ronda!
John M. Edwards gets vertigo and yells help in a lofty Andalusian precipice town where Walt Disney’s family supposedly originally came from. . . . Away from the ugly urbanization of Spain’s Costa del Sol, along scenic Highway 44, I arriveD in my leased “Europe by Car” vehicle via Marbella to Ronda, one of the most beautiful villas blancos (“white villages”) in the Andalusian countryside. Perched, this improbably fantastic nest persists on … [Read more...]
Special Jungle Curry: Thai Street Food, Close Encounters of the Third-World Kind
An American backpacker cannot decide whether budget restaurants or street food offer the best fetish of freshness until he visited one of Thailand’s best outdoor night markets, serving “SPECIAL JUNGLE CURRY.” As someone used to eating Thai food in New York City, with restaurants with babytalk names like “Yum Yum” and “Tastee Thai,” I was blown away when I tasted real Siamese fare for the first time in Bangkok’s Banglamphu district, an area … [Read more...]
Through Death and Sky
“Welcome to Fiji”, announced the captain of the Atlantic Pacific, Boeing 747-400. It had been a 10 hour and 45 minute flight from Los Angeles to Nadi, the third largest municipality on the Viti Levu Isle. Fiji was the first stop of a Cultural-Volunteer Expedition Lead by Carpe Diem followed by, New Zealand, and Australia. Our purpose was to live, learn, and aid, to fully acclimate ourselves in the spirit of Fiji. As the team left the plane, we … [Read more...]
Charles Addams Family Values
John M. Edwards, a paparazzo of the paranormal, stalks the The New Yorker’s most famous and fiendish poltergeist cartoonist back to his moody hometown: Westfield, New Jersey. “Give me a place to stand on, and I will have the earth.” --ARCHIMEDES In Westfield, New Jersey, I finally found the moody manse of cartoonist Charles Addams, probably The New Yorker’s most famous and fiendish cartoonist, and also the inspiration for the TV series … [Read more...]
Zell, Germany
Black Katz and Tiny Bubbles Ahhh, the hills are alive...no, that’s Julie Andrews and Austria. Black cats and voodoo dolls…no, that’s Ricky Martin and Miami. Tiny bubbles...no that’s Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra or somebody. I do know we were sitting at an outdoor café along the hills of the Moselle River. There were black katz on every bottle of wine we tasted. In fact, every signpost and even the hills boasted pictures of black katz. No … [Read more...]
Ecuador – Chocaholics Paradise
The first ´traveller´ to sample chocolates bitter sweet charms was Christopher Columbus in 1502, although it´s likely that the Indigenous Maya and Aztec people had already been drinking it for the previous thousand years. The cacao bean itself had originated in South America millions of years before and is now being reclaimed by its discoverers, yep, chocolate is coming home. Artisan and organic chocolate is the subject on every foodie´s … [Read more...]
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