Of all the temples I visited in Kyoto, the first and possibly the most impressive of them all was Fushimi Inari. Climbing up a 4km trail from ground level on the slopes of the Inari mountain, you’ll be awed by
Illinois Amish Country : Arthur Arcola
Less than an hour away from Champaign Illinois is the little town of Arthur, with a vibrant community of Amish. Though the Amish are generally considered to be quite reluctant to connect with the modern world, the Arthur Amish are
Visions of Mexico City
I wasn’t planning anything special for Thanksgiving, but two weeks of -10c average daytime temperatures in Champaign ignited the need to escape to warmer climates and so – way past last minute – I begun looking for cheap tickets and
Old City Acre : Northern Israel
In my last visit to Israel I took two days out to explore the north, starting from eastern Galilee, and moving west for the night to stay at Kiryat Yam so I can spend the following day exploring the north-west,
Murin An Villa & KonchiIn Temple Gardens : Kyoto
The Kyoto temples are not just a place of worship, they are a place of beauty, contemplation, and spirituality. In almost every temple is a gorgeous Japanese garden made to calm the soul, lift the spirit and provide peace and
Pantheon : Rome
A forced stayover in Rome due to the conflict in my intended destination gave me a day to explore the wonders of Rome. I decided to spend the day roaming around the city by foot, walking between Piazzas aimlessly, enjoying
Robert Allerton Park : UIUC – Illinois
Moving to live in Urbana-Champaign I had very little expectations regarding things to see in the area. The reputation of the twin towns as being mostly corn fields is well-deserved, although my wonders around the world have taught me that
Le Touquet beach : Northern France
France has some great beaches. Although my recent visit to France was not beach oriented, but after an overload of castles, estates, wine/champagne, and colonial history, a break was long overdue, and so the familia decided to make a detour
San Francisco Walk : California
San Francisco was a very pleasant surprise. I had unpleasant memories of San Francisco when I visited around the year 2000, and so wasn’t sure what to expect, but San Francisco turned out to be a gorgeous city, and one
Gion Old Geisha District : Kyoto
Not much that’s left from the old Geisha world, atleast not for foreign tourist folks with my kind of budget, but if you’d like to see a bit of that, you’ll be able to get a glimpse at Gion –
