While I was walking towards my academic conference at the Austin Convention Center in Austin Texas I noticed a plain old historical house. It was quite humble, but it was definitely out of place in the area surrounding the convention
Meigetsuin Temple : Kamakura Japan
The last temple in my Kamakura temple run on my daytrip away from Tokyo is the Meigetsuin Zen Temple dating back to the 12th century. A very tranquil temple surrounded by green forest trees in what feels like a true
Beijing Hutongs : Fangjia, Nanluoguxiang and Wudaoying
The Beijing Hutongs are alley-ways all across Beijing that represent a traditional disappearing way of life. During my first visit to Beijing I stayed in a five star hotel near Tiananmen square completely disconnected from local life, so for the
Capitol building : Austin Texas
Possibly one of the most photogenic capitol buildings I’ve visited in the United States is based in Austin Texas. I was visiting in town for a conference (SPSP2014) and caught some gorgeous cold sunny weather that made for some spectacular
Engakuji Temple : Kamakura Japan
One of the largest Zen Buddhist temples in Japan and situated in a gorgeous forested area in the lovely Kamakura, a day trip from Tokyo, is the Engaku-ji Temple. The temple dates back to the 13th century and is a
Thien Hau Temple & Chinese American Museum : China Town Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a large China Town, so naturally I had to pay my respects to my cultural heritage. It’s a pretty solid typical China Town, with your average Chinese restaurant and old Chinese people sitting in small rooms playing
Stanford Campus : California
On my recent visit to a conference in the states I flew through San Francisco and so decided to stop in for a few days and visit the local universities. The San Francisco area has some of the world’s best
Tianning Temple Pagoda : Beijing
A couple of blocks south from the White Cloud Temple in Beijing is the Tainning Temple which is most famous for its huge 12th century pagoda, which at the time would have enabled visitors to see very far away into
The Getty Center : Los Angeles
Your first stop in Los Angeles should be The Getty Center. Either for grand views of Los Angeles from above, world-class architecture or an impressive collection of art, the Getty Center is one of the most impressive places I visited
White Cloud Temple : Beijing
Lots of religious worship sites around Beijing. I previously visited a Confucian temple and a large Buddhist temple next to it – Yonghegong. While Cloud Temple is a good example of a Daoist temple in Beijing. Dating back to the
