Recognize the image below? This famous photograph immortalizes the Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Summit, taken shortly after the joining of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. It was perhaps the greatest engineering feat of its time, yet absent from this image are any of the 15,000 Chinese railmen who helped make it possible.
Continue reading “The Bamboo Brothers – A Story of the Chinese Who Connected America”
I recently returned from a long trip to beautiful New Zealand. My favorite photos are below. If you’d like to see more travel photos and video stories, join me on Instagram. (Warning: There are a lot of Hobbiton photos because nerd.)
Continue reading “Stunning New Zealand in Photos”
The last time I was in Milan was also my first visit to a police station. Bag snatched after all these years of vigilantly visiting Italy, it undoubtedly yielded the most stressful night I’ve spent in the country. On the plus side, the officer said my Italian was really good.
It’s my belief that we should endeavor always to undo negative memories and refresh them with positive ones, and so I subsequently decided on a return trip to Milan for a month-long stay to better know Italy’s cosmopolitan heart. I wanted to change the narrative of my experience with the city.
Continue reading “Highlights of Milan, Italy’s Cosmopolitan City”
More than half the people in Iceland believe in elves and it’s not hard to understand why. The Icelandic landscape practically lends itself to supernatural belief with its vast volcanic plains and tall mountains that appear to harbor something more mystical. In many ways, Iceland is a lot like Hawaii where I grew up. Both volcanic islands of fire and ice (Hawaii has some ice), they each host unique landscapes, a menu of mythologies, incredibly friendly people and unique cuisine. I quickly felt the familiarity of home.
Continue reading “Five Magical Days in Iceland – Highlights and Hákarl”
Right. Remember that time I went to South Korea, like, half a year ago? No? Well, maybe it’s because I haven’t shared anything about it until now (freelance work is tough). And since the travel blogging universe doesn’t need another travelogue about what I did someplace you may or may not have been to, I’ll keep the description short, so that you can enjoy all the pretty photos (hover over them for more info).
Continue reading “Oh Hey That One Time I Went to South Korea”
I’m slowly trudging through the 36GB of photos taken during my Italy trip last May. If you’re interested in seeing some unique perspectives on Rome, Naples and towns within Emilia-Romagna, check out my Flickr page (I’ll go back and add descriptions and tags after I’m done uploading everything).
Here are a few shots from Rome that I like in particular… Continue reading “36GB of Photos from Rome, Naples and Emilia-Romagna”
While I wait for the restoration of Internet connectivity at my place after returning from Italy, I’m forced to leave all my awesome videos (like this one of the view from the clock tower in Brisighella or this other one of a horse-drawn carriage ride in a nature reserve in Savio) of Emilia-Romagna on my computer, lest I jam up the connection for everyone else in this cafe with large uploads.
I don’t want to be that guy.
Anyway, I’ve been reminiscing about all the great moments I had in Emilia-Romagna as a part of BlogVille. There are so many reasons to visit this beautiful region in Italy; here are my top five.
1. Food
A huge majority of Italy’s most delicious exports originate from Emilia-Romagna. There’s Modena’s balsamic vinegar, the great cheeses of Parma, prosciutto, lasagne, ravioli, tagliatelle al rag๠(oddio!), Sangiovese wine and the amazing piadina. Along the coast, fresh seafood is in abundance, often served as a mixed platter of fried goodness. In short, it’s impossible not to get a little grasso here.
That’s Italian for “fat.”
