Nothing epitomizes the conundrum that is North Korea better than the Ryugyong Hotel in the capital city of Pyongyang. It would have been the world’s tallest hotel, had it been completed on time. Instead it has merely become yet another symbol of North Korea’s lofty ambitions and subsequent failure achieve them. Ryugyong Hotel History … Read More
Slowly it’s getting winter over here but the sun is shining every day. In Holland, I heard it should be around 30 degrees but despite that I am enjoying everyday here in New Zealand. Enjoying the kiwi culture and the country that has his own will, including some very special weird things New Zealand has. … Read More
Every country has hotels and hostels…what does Japan do differently? Just because Japan is constantly looking towards the future does not mean they have forgotten about the past. From traditional ryokan to modern capsule hotels and love hotels, Japanese lodging comes in several unique forms that I could not help but test out. The best … Read More
Translated as “Drunkards Alley” or “Alley Of The Drunkards,” Nonbei Yokocho is two parallel alleys in Shibuya, Tokyo full of miniature bars. Altogether there a grand total of around 50 mini bars here, although sometimes it has mistakenly been cited as having a hundred or more. Sure, the bars are small, but there is no … Read More
Worth over $2 billion annually, California‘s world-renowned wines used to be its number one cash crop. They’ve been surpassed — err…blown away — by the marijuana industry, which according to a 2011 report is worth $14 billion, a whopping seven times that of the vineyards! And it’s growing every year. Analysts at Cowen & Co. … Read More
I’ll start in Japan I tried everything that was handed to me 99% good. Then I tried this octopus and I am not sure how it was prepared etc but that thing was nasty. It was hard and rubbery like chewing on a piece of tire. I tried to take one quick bite so I … Read More
Known as the “River of Five Colors” and the “Liquid Rainbow,” Caño Cristales is a multicolored river in a Colombian national park. Everyone has seen algae, that icky often green stuff that grows in water all over the world — but have you ever seen rainbow-colored algae? That is what happens for a brief period … Read More
Did you know that Europe is the only continent without a desert? Or that American Airlines saved $40,000 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class? Throughout my journeys I have learned a lot of staggering travel facts that will blow your mind — and now I’m sharing them with you. Enjoy … Read More
Ever visited the African country of Mauritius? It is an island nation east of Madagascar in the southwest corner of the Indian Ocean. It was the only known habitat of the now-extinct Dodo bird. And much like that ill-fated avian species, the colored sands of Chamarel are also unique to Mauritius. Nowhere else on earth … Read More
Located on a four-mile long sand peninsula, Puntarenas is a relatively small coastal fishing town that also supports a lot of tourism. While there we happened to stumble upon this magnificent mansion turned hostel on the northern shore, the Perla del Pacifico (which as you may have guessed translates as “Pearl of the Pacific”), the … Read More
