"You're asking because of the storms in Beijing? We don't really know. They aren't telling us everything. Yeah, it's awful. Here are your tickets, you can check for the gate

A year's worth of experiences are almost impossible to process. The beginning of our journey on July 13th seems so long ago. Mediterranean Turkey and Greece and Israel – all

The balmy gray day outside sort of matches our hearts. Packing up this time was a little more efficient than usual, but very hard to do. To some degree, it

"Who sold you this ticket?!" the Air China representative asked in a scary tone. "A travel agent. Why?" I responded. "This ticket should not be. This violates the rules. You

Even the most bland middle-American town knows Chinese food. It might be in its most greasy and generic form – maybe even a national chain like Panda Express or Pick

"Hi, we're having a problem with our Internet service….it's sometimes very slow and I'm having trouble opening up pages…." "That's probably because of the typhoon outside, Madam," the man at

The pretty beachside cove town of Mui Wo glitters in the sun. Dogs and their people take dips in the shallow blue-green waters and the old folks and little kids

This is my fourth visit to Hong Kong. The other three were each in January – 2004 – 2006. Each time, the air was crisp and refreshing during the day

After the 1984 joint declaration that laid in the plans to return Hong Kong to China, my grandmother decided she had to visit the British crown colony before the scheduled

"We were preparing the presentation all week when the honkies called and wanted changes. But that's how it is with the honkies, always needing help, never quite sure," the man

When you're young, it's easy to say you'll be back again. If you really love a place or an activity your enthusiasm may well carry you back to it. With

“You shouldn’t really thank people so much,” my friend Jay said. “People here aren’t used to being thanked so much.” “You mean the the guy who’s serving us?” “Yeah, Thais

With twelve days until we board a plane for New York, Emily and I have been reflecting on various aspects of this year from the deeply meaningful to the humorous

At about 1am on a Friday night, we stood on a nearly deserted sidewalk in front of the Siam Discovery Center Mall. At the time, this was the newest mall

Walking the streets of Bangkok is like making your way through an endless buffet. Given, this can mean different things to different people… But I mean it in a culinary

Although beautiful is an apt word, overwhelming is the first word that comes to mind when describing the Grand Palace and Wat Pha Kaeow – the fantastic set of Buddhist

Lights, color, crowds, roaring music, concerts, food, contained chaos….it sounds like a festival, but it's a mall. In the kingdom's capitol, malls are almost as ubiquitous as embassies. And they

The streets are lined with freestanding campaign banners. Giant photos of candidates with only a line or two of text and their ballot numbers are at every turn – literally.

Borders are strange things. An artificial political line can make all the difference in the world. Although the border between Laos and Thailand is nowhere near as dramatic as the

“My wife would like to take a photo. Is it okay to take a photo, sir?” I asked in Lao. The driver, relaxing in the hammock he hung from the

“They have tons of money. There’s more money flowing through here than you can imagine. These people have the money to do a lot more,” the fifty-something year-old American man

“Some people would say that what we do is harder. We have to figure out where we’re going, how to get there, how things work, different languages, pack up and

If per capita GDP were measured in Buddhist temples, then Laos might well be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. On "city" blocks, suburban streets or in the

“So, what do you call this in Lao?” I asked in the strange Thai-Lao I’ve been speaking. “Len.” I repeated it back to check my understanding of the pronunciation/intonation. Use

There are no tour buses. In fact, there are no city buses either. No Chinese tourists with hats and cameras around their necks, no senior citizens staying at the nice

“It all went perfectly,” Emily said. “I even played it back and it was perfect.” We were both relieved because if her live lecture this morning hadn’t gone well, we

Americans have no confusion about what their country is, how it got there and what it's about. In fact, America is one of the few and perhaps the very first

Our hotel is like a colonial French villa. Pale green common areas, cream to pale yellow rooms, large ceiling fans, dark hardwood floors in the rooms, black and white tiled

“You can just speak Thai. It’s all the same language – about 90 percent is the same. People here understand Thai,” the nice Lao man told me at breakfast this

“Sabaidee!” “Sabaidee bo?” “Sabaidee. Sabaidee bo?” “Sabaidee eu!” This is the conversation I have with most of the people we saw as we walked around Vientiane. You may notice the

“You should have defended my honor!” Emily said. “What should I have done?!” “You should have gone over there and beat the shit out of her with one of her

In 1975, Americans left on helicopters taking off from an embassy roof in Saigon. We're leaving on an A340 from the newly renovated Hanoi Airport. In 1972, the Americans took

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is filled with boutique hotels. Inside, they are very nice and the rooms are usually very well appointed. Most of them are old houses families renovated and

“Long time ago, in Vietnam history, the parents – they choose who their son and daughter marry. The woman, she always go with the husband’s family. She does what the

“Why did you tip her anyway?” Emily asked. “Because she kept asking and I just wanted to get out of there – now – without any problems,” I said, a

Everyday, every hour, every minute, new lives come into the world. Saturday night, a new life came into my world. My best friend Mazyar and his wife Mahkameh had their

“I feel so old! When did I get so old.!” Emily said cowering on the third story deck of the boat. She kept looking down at the 30 foot drop

It created confusion. Or, rather I created confusion and a certain amount of alarm. The girls at the hair salon didn't speak any English and they clearly weren't sure what

We followed the sign down a short, narrow hallway lined with exposed electrical wires. As with most staircases in Vietnam, I had to duck to make it through. We came

I’ve heard many times that it takes a year to really get the hang of a job. So, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that at 10.5 months into our

“Bonjour! Tout est bien avec votre sejour?” The restaurant hostess at the Metropole Hotel asked. I realized as we walked into the hotel that it was not only French owned

“And I think Japan and Germany should be the peacekeepers of the world. They should be parachuted in whenever something breaks out. ‘Look, we’ve done the killing, take it from

Recently, we developed a new game. When we're all talked out about anything and everything in our lives – and we can talk anything and everything to death – Emily

The smell of Chinese incense fills the air of the narrow streets of Hanoi's old quarter. It's a scent I know well – a scent that immediately puts me back

It’s no wonder the people here like butter and cheese because Hanoi is the Land O’ Lakes. Never before have a I seen a city with so many lakes and

We landed in a different world. It’s not the beach and it isn’t the wide boulevards and modern new skyscrapers of Saigon. Our taxi took us out of the airport

It took us days to get all the information we needed to make sure it would work, but we are now definitely going to Laos on May 28th and staying

In Southeast Asia, I find myself challenged not to look and ask, “Is it a REAL marriage?” or “How does that work?” Sometimes I even have the thought, “Yeah, I

“You asked me how I am. Thank you! You are a very nice person. Nobody asks me how I am. All day, people say ‘No’ or ‘We’re not buying’. They

One day when I was home from college, my mom walked in the door with several boxes of groceries she had just purchased at Costco. As she put the items

I didn’t think there was anything left in Southeast Asia that could shock me. I’ve spent my fair share of time in the region and the rule of thumb is

Vietnam is still celebrating the "glory days" ….of the early 2000's when boy bands ruled the pop charts. Everywhere we've been at first in Saigon, and now here in Nha

Mr. Hill was one of the best teachers I ever had. He had a passion for American history and a knack for captivating 8th graders as he brought the past

Everywhere we turn, it’s Adley – our dog that Emily brought to the relationship. All around Saigon, people have dogs who are not only Adley’s size and body type, but

Adidas, Pizza Hut, Subway, The Body Shop, Bud’s Ice Cream, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Nike. Malls. Department stores. Chains of donut shops. Are these the signs of a communist country? This

Everything in Vietnam has a corresponding sauce. Each and every variety of fresh salad roll, fried spring roll, fried rice cake – anything you can hold in your hand has

The pale orange and white Catholic church across the street looks almost like a wedding cake with crosses. The restaurant we went to Friday night might have been a government

Eight weeks left. It became apparent to us in the past few days that time has become limited. After several recent fairly last-minute changes to our itinerary – including heading

In the warm, sweaty heat of Saigon, locals zip around chaotically on motorcycles, while others take midday naps in the middle of their shops. Cafes are everywhere and can be

On April 29, 2009, I took Emily to the Los Angeles Farmer's Market for dinner. It had been exactly six months since our first date – which ended with the

Going from Bali to Malaysia to Singapore has been walking up the development staircase and falling off the edge of healthy eating. Bali easily had the healthiest, freshest food of

For the third time this trip, I feel like I’ve come home. Singapore and I lived together on and off for two years. For 1.5 I went back and forth

"We built this city…we built this city on rock and roll!" came pouring out of the taxi's radio last week as we rode into town from the airport. Conlan and

“I have two children in Australia. They studied there. I told them to stay there! It’s better for them to build a life there,” our 60 year-old taxi driver told

I love Singapore because it’s a mind-bender. On my very first visit in 2004, I spent most of the time wondering how such a place exists and what makes it

It would be easy to visit Singapore, look around, see an ultra-modern, spotlessly city with some stringent rules and take it at face value. Singapore the short story is a

We’re fortunate when we have a handful of people with whom we share a deep connection. Real friends – the kind we share our lives with whom we build networks

“Love, we’re living in a hotel room again,” I said this morning. “No one’s going to take our laundry away, and you had to go get coffee….I miss Bali…. I

What’s more Chinese than China? In my opinion, a lot of places – including Penang. This is a bold statement for a guy with no formal education in Chinese history,

“Eat more!” were the parting words of our Chinese Singaporean taxi driver as he dropped us off at Changi International Airport Saturday night. On the ride to the airport, we

Since I was a kid, the first night of Passover has been my favorite night of the year. Maybe it was because we went to my grandmother's house and there

“You stay in Singapore too long, you die,” our Singaporean born Malay taxi driver said as we drove from the Penang airport to our hotel in Georgetown – the island’s

The one thing constant in Singapore is change. From the constant construction of new malls, office buildings, hotels, condos and subway lines to social standards and practices, Singapore is always

The sun shone brightly as it had so many mornings in Bali. Nothing felt particularly different – except the large backpacks leaning against the wall. We pretended it was a

Despite having enjoyed 55 days in Bali already, Emily and I have only this one full-day left. When you have only one day in Bali, what do you do with

“It’s like the Singaporean Embassy!” I told Chad as I walked up to him. I met Chad – my good friend who lives here in Bali – for the last

“Golden Retreivers!!!!” Emily exclaimed as if she woke up to fresh snow on the ground or a surprise birthday party. Without a moment’s thought or hesitation, she was down on

Everyone has their way of dealing with it. Emily jittered jumped and stuttered things like, “D-d-d-d-d-dog” and “Cat-cat-cat-kitty-cat.” She also gasped and grabbed onto me fiercely. Susan and Aunt Penny

“My issue is safety. Do you think it’s safe?” Emily asked me. “I don’t know – I’ve never done this before. You have. What do you think?” “I only did

The thing about hippies is that they make good juice drinks. No one tells you this and it’s not in the literature – but at least in Bali it’s true.

“I almost killed two tourists today!” Emily said in much the same way a mother talks about a hard day she had with her kids. The first was a British

Emily came up with the idea for this trip. It all started one fine August day when we were on vacation with her family and she picked up a travel

Two weeks ago, a crisis erupted in Bali. One that I had never seen or heard of before. A crisis that unthinkable. There was a coconut milk shortage. Not just

“Does it feel like your birthday?” I asked Emily. “No, not really. Lucy was asking me if we made any special birthday plans and I told her everyday feels like

The morning clouds floated southward, taking their gray haze with them. Bali is again brilliantly lit up by a sun that shines in a particular way, just for Bali. The

It was time to get ourselves together. It was time to get me together. In the aftermath of two sets of guests, lots of car time and just as much

It's all completely reversed. In 2004, when I moved to Bali and took up residence in our compound, I had the idea that I would live off local resources. I

Only the torches broke up the dark, thick night. They lined the outer courtyard of the temple closest to our house. As the villagers gathered for their evening offerings and

About two months ago, at the entrance to a side street in Ubud, a truck delivered two large piles of bright orange bricks. Residents of the neighborhood stacked them neatly

“Which kingdom are we in?” Jacob asked. We were headed down one of my favorite roads in Bali that runs through the gorgeous rice-scaped village of Kemenuh, across a giant

In 90 degree weather with about 90 percent humidity, a woman walked down the main street of Ubud and crossed the road with her adorable baby boy in arms. He

Yesterday marked two important milestones – our nine month anniversary and our trip being 75 percent complete. I chose to focus on the anniversary because it's more romantic and fun.

After two days in Bali, Diana observed that at home, people decorate with paintings and photos of distant beautiful places like Hawaii and Paris. In Bali, all the artwork is

The two best phrases of the last 24 hours have been "Congratulations on paying off your car, we'll be mailing your title to you in 10 days." and "It smells

As the 10 foot waves form a perfect curl on their way to the southern Bali shore, I realize the season has changed. March through May is my favorite time

There was one white duck among them. As I rode along my favorite narrow, windy road into town – the one that goes through small villages and even more gorgeous

“I’m sorry breakfast is so rushed! It’s not normally this way. We usually luxuriate over breakfast….” Emily said to Jacob and Diana as she shoved a piece of avocado camembert

The last few minutes were the most difficult of all. Jacob and Diana were among the last of their flight to make it through the slow baggage claim and customs

Emily can’t sleep. She wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00 every morning – even when she plans to sleep later. She’s not nervous. There’s nothing gnawing at her. She doesn’t

Dear Readers, This blog is being written to all of you who have been following Eric's blog and Emily and Eric's experiences throughout their world travels. This is being written

In the past week, the rice fields next to our compound have sprouted grain. Suddenly stalks of rice that resemble wheat fill several acres next to our house. The birds

Sometimes you don't know how you feel until something's over. Before we left for the airport last night, Susan realized she had a few things she wished she had done.

“Can you please hold two more minutes? I think I found something,” said the Delta Airlines help desk operator. All four of us sat huddled around a small booth at

“It doesn’t really feel like an island….” Susan said. Emily said the same thing last week because Bali feels so big to her. For Indonesia, Bali is small at 2,100

I was working away happily when the Internet suddenly went out. With a mild annoyance, I went to the wireless router in back of the house figuring there was once

This is my second tsunami while in Bali. On the morning of December 26, 2004 I awoke to a phone call from my worried mother. She had never called me

When we picked it out from the refrigerator case, it seemed innocuous. I knew that it wasn’t really – but it was so mellow I thought maybe it was the

It was decision time. Susan, Aunt Penny and Emily watched CNN, looking for information on the tsunami and how it would affect Indonesia. I scanned Channel News Asia – the

It had been a long and at times, bumpy drive. Even though we were less than 15 minutes from our destination, Aunt Penny needed a break from sitting and a

When the hammer hits the metal, it feels like time runs backward. The clang and resonance of the gamelan is mystical. Nothing else makes quite that sound – a sound

The strange thing about this part of our journey is how feels like we live here. We have a house. Our house has a front and back yard. We have

At first, Nengah was confused. "Ibu Emily….Bibi Eric?" "Tidak, Ibu Emily dan Bibi Emily." "My ibu, my bibi!" Emily said bursting with excitement. "Oh…." he said with a smile as

“Our lives are about to change!” Emily said last night. We’re expecting…guests. For the rest of the month and possibly into April. Tonight Emily’s mom and beloved Aunt Penny arrive

It's the most fantastic venue I know. It always feels like sitting in the center of international couture. Every first world language is being spoken and people are dressed to

Even in Bali, there’s only one day of the year that things are truly quiet. On Nyepi, when everyone stays in, the outside sounds all die out. Not a single

The clanging began. Boys with cymbals and instruments like portable gamelans. Drums. The beat sped up, the metal clanging became louder and as it crescendoed, up went the first ogoh-ogoh.

I sit there several mornings a week and watch the routine. Between 11:00 and 11:30, a large bus pulls up and lets off 40 or so Chinese tourists. They come

Today was a grand victory. I finished work by 5:30! It’s something I’ve been striving to achieve for awhile. It hasn’t been done since Mumbai. On a few occasions, I

For the first time since Turkey, Emily hasn’t been particularly enthusiastic about the local cuisine. After India and Thailand, Bali’s a giant tumble down the spicy-o-meter. For Emily who likes

The sounds of the gamelan in the village down the road have been growing more frequent and louder over the past week. When the chanting and music aren’t coming from

We sat in the middle of a rice field outside Ubud, enjoying incredible meals made exclusively from fresh organic produce at the farm next door. Everything as far as the

We discussed meeting for lunch or hanging out at the beach over the weekend. Then Chad proposed the idea of going to Candidasa for the weekend. The beautiful white sand

Nengah our housekeeper, heard the sound of me stupidly smacking a kitchen knife against a mature coconut and came to see what the noise was. I’m not particularly handy, but

The sky cracked. It sounded like the ceiling of the universe was about to come tumbling down. The windows shook and if I hadn't seen the lightening, I would have

Since we began planning this year of adventure, she has been talking about doing something for her body. Something physical. Something healthy. Regularly. She had just lost 55 pounds leading

At first I thought it was Emily taking photos. Then I realized she was showering inside. The flash went off again and I realized it was silent Bali lightening illuminating

More than 20 different items were laid out on the buffet table. They included many varieties of traditional Balinese festival food that few, if any restaurants serve. They are so

The morning sun bursts through the bedroom windows at about 8am, as it makes its way over the shrubs around our house. There's no stopping tropical light and there's no

Bali's magnificent beauty is overwhelmingly apparent. What too many tourists and prospective tourists miss is that the gorgeous beaches, rolling rice terraces and majestic volcanoes with their placid lakes are

“It’s beautiful and amazing, but I’m not so overwhelmed. Is that wrong? I think if we had come straight from home, I would see this and have my jaw dropped,”

It's like falling into a dream. Sitting here writing in the gentle air carrying wafts of flowers and the caress of the garden plants. It can only be Bali. Back

It couldn’t have been more fitting. We sat at a folding table with plastic chairs in a small parking lot eating som tam (spicy raw papaya salad) and sticky rice

“Okay, I’m done. Let’s go home,” Emily said as she finished her work on Koh Samet. She wanted to get her grading out of the way before we hit the

The winds took a turn and the sea became uncharacteristically rough – for Koh Samet.  The Gulf of Thailand's normally glassy complexion and aquamarine color changed to choppy with mild,

“Love, I can’t sleep! They’re biting me! I’m getting bitten and I can’t sleep!!!!” Emily said at 2 am. I was not getting bitten and was sound asleep. “I’m so

He dips one end of the stick in kerosene, takes it out and ladles on some more. He turns it around and dips the other end as well and repeats

The feel is so familiar. Warm, balmy, a certain smell, a certain feel of the adequate, but unattractive room….it could only be Koh Samet. This small island of the Rayong

"Do you remember when we used to run errands and buy groceries?" "Yeah….and…." "No, that was it…. You remember how we used to do those things?" I said. Emily bust

“Let me write it down for you, so you can remember it better,” was my very nice dentist’s very polite way of saying, “You don’t pronounce it right, let me

It’s the perfect time of year in Bangkok – warm and dry, but not too hot. Today was the first day the temperature rose above 85 degrees. Without the sticky

It’s dark days when the venerated king lives in a hospital. Two different taxi drivers today mentioned that the king now lives in Siriraj Hospital – and they both pointed

There are all sorts of reasons people come to Bangkok  – some you might guess, others you might not. As I've said before, Emily came to Bangkok for sushi. But

Thai culture seems to have a comfortability, if not attraction to what I might consider clutter, chaos and inconsistency. Some of it comes from economic change and revolution. Men ride

In order to enjoy places like Thailand, India, and Nepal, you have to make the irrational leap of faith that every vehicle is safe; every driver or operator is a

For Emily, Bangkok has been about one thing, and one thing alone: sushi. My wife has a sushi addiction – no two ways about it. After spending more than $80

It’s good to be back. I last visited Thailand almost six years ago and lived here a little more than eight years ago. I don’t know where the time has

In three months, we've come full circle. Our ticket into Region 2 landed us in Delhi. We started at the Delhi airport. Today, after one month in Nepal, two weeks

“I really need to get my teeth cleaned…” Emily said in front of the all-marble Taj Mahal. It wasn’t the effect I was expecting, but understandable nonetheless. The Taj is

It starts with a casual observation that it's a busy intersection. Across the street is a giant red sandstone fort – aka The Red Fort – that would be a

I didn't expect his email, but there it was. Two nights ago Mohit emailed to see if we were in Delhi. We met he and his wife, Shubhi in Kerala

People wrapped in musty, lice-infested blankets found corners, crevices and curbs in which to sleep. A woman on a major thoroughfare was warming herself over a flame filled metal trash

Grab the dirty laundry – shove it in the big backpack. Collect all the power cords. The toiletries. Don't forget the toiletries. The empty duffle and small backpack. Can we

After dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the lake, we walked home on the quiet (Indian quiet) street in the moonlight. After ten days, we knew the road. We knew

The French girl with the phenomenal English vocabulary spoke as rapidly as a New Yorker and used slang as comfortably as I would. She told me that for her, learning

“It doesn’t matter, it’s all gonna’ come out anyway!” was Emily’s response to me warning her not to eat pani pourri from the street cart she was eyeing. For the

There’s nothing like walking down your normal, average street and running into a palace. Living in Ubud, Bali, I had that experience on a daily basis. The Palace is at

“Which palace are you staying in?” the waiter asked as we left the beautiful restaurant on the water. You don’t get asked that very often – but here in Rajasthan,

I had waited too long. Between struggling with work on a so-so Internet connection last week and just being generally unimpressed with the barber shops I passed, I didn’t get

Old Udaipur is a bubble – a beautiful, magical bubble centered around Lake Pichola. Indian tourism authorities pump it up as “India’s most romantic city”. Indeed, despite it being a

They have clearly undergone some kind of training. “Good morning, Sir. How did you sleep?” “Hello Madame, how was your food?” “Was your room cleaned well?” “Hello Sir, were you

At 1:30 am, the fight broke out. “Moooooo” (said angrily). “Woof, woof, woof, woof woof grrr, grr, grrr”. “Moooo…snort, snort…moooo…moooo”. “Rrrrr, rrrrg, woof, woof, woof, woof”. And then a sound

We awoke to colors and light all around. The incredible stained glass panels of our corner-room windows sent in an incredible, diffused light that gave the room a warm glow.

The cows all looked at me strangely as I scurried down the road. They were the only ones up and working at 7:05am on a Sunday and they saw no

"What country?" "You are from where?" "What is your country?" "You country?" We hear one of these four questions as soon as we meet people. Greetings are held until nationality

We landed in Istanbul and took a bus down to Alanya six months ago today. Mid-way through the journey, the world – literally and figuratively – looks different than it

If you’ve ever seen a psychologist, visited a counselor, listened to a radio psychology talk-show, read a magazine article on relationships, or watched “Frazier” or “Oprah” – you know that

One thing was clear – the white boy could dance. Situated on the roof of a popular hotel with an incredible view of everything from the Fort to the Palace,

For just a moment, late at night as I was getting ready for bed – the air smelled and felt exactly like a mid-winter night in my bedroom in the

"Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me. Pardon me. Really? Right into me? Okay, fine…" This what I say to the cows as I walk down the street. They are very busy

"My first thought was, "Oh, shit – it's Kathmandu Lite!" From the crowds of hungry taxi drivers outside the train station, ready to pounce tothe narrow streets with cows eating

Just like the train services, there are no bells or whistles when an Indian train is about to start its journey. One minute you’re still – the next moment, you

It feels instantly far away. Writing in a noisy Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Mumbai where we are working and killing time until our late night train to Jodhpur

“There’s poopie on my pillow!” Emily said. In my best estimate from my tropical past, it was gecko dropping – typically characterized by the attached little white dot. No idea

“How’s your speed?” “I’m a little slow. You?” “Mine was slow but now it’s better. What are we going to do about my live session Thursday?” “We need to get

“Ring around the Rosie, pocket full of posies, asha, pusha, all fall down….” Apparently, this is the Indian version of the nursery rhyme. The teenage daughter next door led her

Like Anita and Nathan, Abby and Nancy showed up looking for lodging. Until recently, I had forgotten that people do that. But there they were, on break from a special

Sometimes I forget about the power of language. Odd for someone who writes for a living. At Keraleeyam more than any other place, we’ve made friends and acquaintances with whom

“What is your place?” “America.” “Oh, America! Obama! When do you leave?” “Next week.” “Do you like here – God’s Own Country?” (That’s Kerala’s tourism motto) “Yes, very much! It’s

The last day of 2010 and we're sitting on the Kerala backwaters. Tonight we havedinner reservations for the nicest hotel in town – on the beach where there will also

At a quarter to nine at night, the doorbell – which is literally a bell hanging from the ceiling rung by someone pulling the string out front – rang. To

“One pen?! You have one pen?!” Walk through any village or town from the high mountains of Nepal to the island of Sri Lanka and unless you look Indian or

“You’re disgusting!” Emily said lovingly the morning of our six month anniversary, “You just shove everything in.” We were packing our stuff up to store for the day while we

Emily sat on the bench crying, her eyes stinging. I wanted to feel badly for her – but itwas no one's fault but her own. It started with a simple

“Are you satisfied with my services today?” our auto-rickshaw driver asked. “Uh, yes! Very. Thank you!” I answered to his roughly 15th question. Others included: What is your name? Your

On Christmas morning we awoke to the sound of prayer and music. The prayer was coming from a Hindu temple down the backwaters which has a speaker system to send

The transition from Mumbai to Alleppey has been meant changing my central concern from worrying about what I might step in to what I might step on. It could be

It turns out we’re good guests. We have felt that we’re needy guests. With all the high-speed Internet, WiFi goings on that began our time here at the Keraleeyam, we

“The British came, and they took, and they stole everything from India and they made us slaves. But they gave us one thing – education. And we eventually started thinking

In Region 2, one dilemma often leads to the next. We expect dilemmas to involve how to accept other people’s cultural norms and values when they are contrary to some

"Here – make Malayalam movies. Mango tree, rice, views. Mango tree. Many Malayalam movies. Tamil movies. Hindi movies-  yes. English movies – no." Anil, our boatman – one of the

Some people have told us Kerala is "India Lite". So far, I'm inclined to agree. Facing out of our bungalow toward a scene that looks somewhat like Baloo the Bear

I could hear Emily's (our) friend Jessica's voice saying, "Finally! Finally, a place I belong!" Jessica tends to appreciate the finer things in like – especially those that involve lounging

From the time I told her that there was a Coffee Day stand at the train station, Emily had her mind set on feeding her addiction. Unfortunately for her, we

Mumbai has been a land of extremes. I’m sure anyone looking at America from the outside might say the same – particularly in our large cities. Despite that, I find

I knew it was going to be a good day as soon as we hailed a taxi whose driver asked for less than the going rate to our destination. The

In a country where millions of people are trying to subsist, I didn’t expect to see much focus on environmental issues. India is at least nominally trying to clean up

Today marks five months of traveling. “Five months is big!” Emily kept saying yesterday. We still have more in front of us than behind us, but five months is a

It took some shock aversion therapy in order for me to do it. If we were going to Mumbai's biggest slum, then I wanted a nice brunch out the deal.

I was uncomfortable in a synagogue for the first time in my life. I felt like a woman in a bar getting hit on by a drunk guy who won't

When every single day is a voyage and adventure, sometimes you need to have a little piece of "normal" – or the life you used to have. Without planning or

When meal time rolls around and I think, "Oh yeah, I have to eat…." or , "Oh geez, Emily's gonna' want dinner soon…." or "I have to eat again?" things

“Madame is full….” our waiter said when Emily didn’t want the remainder of her meal. Madame was somehow a little shocked by the statement, not being used to be called

With India swirling all around us, there's been really no time to think about spinning the dreidel. Despite where we've been until now, we've felt each holiday as if we

“I want to be a housewife so I have the time to make ALL the recipes in our cookbooks!” Emily said as she was enjoying the spicy achar that went

Walking through the food stalls at Chowpatti Beach, there are signs everywhere for Faloodah – a dessert beverage of ice cream, rice noodles, rose syrup and saffron. It didn’t take

“Where are we?!” Emily kept saying as we strolled along the Palladium Mall. With everything including a Cartier, a TGI Fridays to a Comedy Club all within a truly elegant

“Pitsia?! Where’s Pitsia?! I’ve never heard of Pitsia… Scheps, where’s Pitsia?!” “I don’t know!” Emily’s grandfather said in the background despite him knowing that we were heading to India, but

"You don't care anymore, do you?" Emily said as our taxi narrowly avoided colliding with a dog and another car simultaneously. I tried to suppress the smile…but no, I didn't

 Unless I've been subtler than I think, anyone who has read this blog in the past month is probably aware that Kathmandu is not my favorite city. However, there's one

“Le chat est sur la chaise, le souris est sur la table et le singe est sur la branche…” Eddie Izzard says in his “Dressed to Kill” stand-up routine as

As we sat in the dining room of their beautiful home which detail for detail looked and felt like a very nice American house, Mandira and her husband Ram explained

Yesterday was our five month anniversary. Given that Emily spent a good portion of it in the bathroom and the other portions looking like death warmed over, it wasn’t our

“I have something to tell you…It’s a surprise, but I can’t keep it in! We’re going to the Farmhouse this weekend!” Emily said to me over lunch on Tuesday. While

I reached into the bottom of my large backpack and pulled out the slacks and two button-down shirts I had been carrying around for precisely such an occasion. The black

Everything. We have everything to be thankful for this year. We have everything to be thankful for just about every year – but especially this year. There are these rare

Mandira’s translators have nightmares. They turn reports of rape, torture and brutality into English documents that can be shared with the UN, Amnesty International and other organizations. But they aren’t

“We haven’t done a food blog in a long time!” Emily said in what I imagine was a hungry moment during The Long March. Earlier in our travels, it had

Aging has been on my mind. For several months, different aspects of how people age have crept up and swirled around in my consciousness. Faces are easy enough to ascribe

We’re exhausted. Three days of up and down and up and down the Kathmandu Valley led to Emily’s grand conclusion on the final steps on the journey, “We are not

Emily's alarm went off at the crack of dawn to awaken us for the sunrise over the Himalayas. Nagarkot is famous for its sunrise view. I am famous for my

"The white people in your country, they do not like the black haired people so much…I am sorry to tell you this," Shyam told us, summarizing his observations from his

Having someone holding a blade to your face even is never comfortable – even when the blades are semi-dull and electric. For just over four months, I haven’t shaved my

We’ve “taken up residence”. I think that’s a more appropriate term for our stay at the Hotel Vajra. It’s not really like other places we’ve stayed. It has a certain

As we walk through the streets, markets, squares, and temples of Kathmandu – it’s impossible not to stare and marvel at the differences. How can you miss them? The colors,

I’m not altogether sure what I was expecting – but it wasn’t the reality I got. As we entered the Pashupati Temple, I smelled the smoke. I made it to

One of the best parts of extended travel is having the time to see what’s behind the door. Normally, that’s a figurative expression, but yesterday it became both literal and

"I love this place more than anything!" Emily says fairly often during taxi rides. As a rule, Emily loves whatever she enjoys at the moment more than anything. Everything gets

There had already been dancing earlier in the evening, but the most interesting dance was at the very end of the night. Our waiter poured 45 proof raksi – a

My friend Joti doesn’t understand why the monkeys at the Swayambu Buddhist Temple aren’t all over the city. Joti may only be five years-old, but he makes a good point.

“I give you this advice….whether you take it or not is up to you…..it’s very important for the brain to release all the tension….this is very important….when you get up

We have little debates all the time. Do you demand the price you know it can be, or do you accept a price that is more than reasonable, but not

“This is where we die!” Emily exclaimed, crying and trembling as we watched the fire consume the building two over from our hotel. Someone’s Tihar fireworks went awry and burned

We felt the explosion behind us. A firecracker of the variety individuals should not possess went off a few feet down the road just as we exited our hotel in

“It’s lawless. We’re not safe anymore. I have no security,” Dipesh explained. “Before, we were at least safe outside. Now, if I come home at 6 or 7 o’clock and

Sitting in Room 708 at 1 am, while Emily took a hot shower and I waited my turn – it was hard not to have questions. We discovered earlier in

During the days of British colonialism in India, Nepal decided to “opt out” and closed its borders for almost 140 years. From 1817 when Nepali soldiers defeated the invading British

The car horns have discussions. One honk here, two respond, a gaggle of them converse. Sometimes they have debates. They settle agreements by taking votes. A couple seem to pronounce

Saturday night, November 1st, 2008, Emily and I went out on our second date. It was only three nights after our first date and it's the date we each decided

Emily’s elbows were jabbed into my abdomen as she leaned across my body to stick her camera out the side of the horse-drawn carriage, trying to get the perfect shot

Movie theaters suspend reality. Something about sitting in a dark theater drops me out of place and time. Friday night, as we came out of a showing of "Social Network"

We were late. The taxi driver – who we knew was overcharging us, but we went along with it anyway because it was a cold, rainy public holiday and he

On the third floor of a cafe, overlooking some of the nicer and busiest streets, it’s easy to forget that Istanbul has been an imperial capitol for 1,500 years. Few

We walked out of the hotel into a blustery wind. A storm brought a strange mixture of warm air with cold, cold gusts and rain into the Golden Horn. It’s

My dad tells this story frequently. When I was about ten, we had a foreign exchange student from France come and stay with us for a couple of months. Sylvie

Emily is creative. The other day, she updated her list of logins and passwords she keeps in hidden files in our backpacks. The old ones needed to be destroyed. She

The sunset created a golden glow over the Bosphorous. Exactly as I had wanted and imagined, I watched the sunset over the European shore with my beautiful wife as we

“Why do you need all this space?!” Emily asked as we walked through the Hagia Sofia. “You don’t NEED all this space,” I said, “It’s about showing the glory and

Fatigue makes us feel guilty. Emily was tired and didn’t really want to go out into the cold, chilling wind that swept through the city last night. We had intended

“Yes, please!” they all say as we pass – as if we were asking who would like a cookie. Some clap and point. Others begin an interrogation vaguely resembling an

My Grandpa used to read to me endlessly. My grandparents had an entire set of children’s books at their house and I wonder if my Grandpa didn’t regret getting Richard

It’s like there’s a funk in Istanbul. You can’t quite put your finger on what makes it so unusual. My friend Leanne would love to point her finger in my

There’s no two ways about it – Turkey is a man’s society. Most jobs are done by men and you see a lot of men congregating and socializing in public,

A sleek and expensive private boat captained by a man in a white robe, turban and long beard and four or five women in burqas with veils pulled up to

We were like Peaches and Herb. Only Peaches was wearing a 49.5 pound backpack and had just flown around the world and Herb was really tired from getting in to

The day started off so French. I got up, picked up my laundry, finished packing my bag checked out of my hotel (10 am checkout) and headed into the center

“See, now you have to eat it cold,” the man at the table next to me said, proving his point. My 45 minute discussion with the man and his friend

My life as a Cannoise is very simple. On weekdays I mostly work and talk. This really isn’t anything different than what I did on weekdays in Los Angeles and

The storm passed and the sun came back to Provence. The rain swept out all the entertainment industry people from last week’s conference and Cannes seemed to feel fresher and

The French are trying to strangle themselves. They seem to do this from time to time and they're back for more right now. The French transportation unions are striking and

The winds picked up and brought in the beginnings of a storm heading east across the Mediterranean coasts of Europe. Cannes turned gray and cool with a true autumn feel.

Grasse doesn’t appear like a town with money flowing through it like a river. It has absolutely no glitz whatsoever and its truly amazing parts are hundreds of years old

I feel like I’ve fallen back in time. I’m here, alone in Cannes – just like December, 2007. Only this time, there’s a ring on my left ring finger. When

We love and hate one another. The French admire, fear and loathe us. They honor and love us too. And while we can appreciate their art and culture, we don’t

Long before Cannes was filled with exclusive residences and visiting celebrities – in fact, before it was even really much of a town – it had a very famous resident

"You know, the story is that the people, they tried building a tower up and up and up to try to reach the God. I don't know why they think

We started our journey looking for where we could work. High-speed Internet was and still is our water and air. Emily and I need it to work – and we

When you’re in France and the day comes for your nieces’ birthday party, there’s only one thing to do – go to Nice. After a quick ride on the TGV(!!!),

I don’t know if it’s the progression of time, being in Cannes in a different season or staying in a different neighborhood than before, but the people look different. Namely,

It started with the incredible color of blue green in the water along Nice and Cannes. I saw them from the airplane window. You would think after almost two month

I’m always amazed at how amazed I get. When we make plans – airlines, buses, hotels, etc – I’m usually the one who makes the arrangements. I know in great

The strait between Samos and Kusadasi is only 20 miles wide. But it’s a universe apart. Turkey feels like Turkey. Rough edges, cruddy restrooms, crazy bus stations, whacky taxi experiences

Leaving Greece is like leaving an old friend. We've been here five weeks this round and a total of seven weeks in the course of the summer. There are so

Rich, intense, saturated in numerous, but always resplendent hues – blue is the color of Greece. I have often thought that I want to bottle it or keep it in

I took a shower and came out of the bathroom to my wife holding two pieces of baklava in a container with a candle in them singing “Happy Birthday.” She

“We have a strenuous week ahead,” I said. Emily’s face showed the dismay. Sure, at this point, anything that involves managing more than two errands in a day – on

“You no get hashish in Turkey!” were Nicholas’ caring, parting words before he gave us each a hug and left us at the ferry dock. Leaving Patmos was painful. We

So far, it has been my practice to end each location with a “wrap up” upon leaving. I like to think of it a bit like the Getting There and

If he hadn’t asked about my iPad, we never would have had the conversation – we never would have known the extent of it. The life of cliques, group and

It was like an episode of “Seinfeld.” The laundry man saw me walk by with the big bag of freshly cleaned and folded laundry – his eyes widened, jaw dropped.

“There’s my puppy! He’s at his favorite restaurant!” Emily says most of the times we pass Ostria Restaurant in town. This very cute smallish dog seems to always be there

“How many tablespoons of oil do you think was just consumed?” Emily asked me. “Five.” “Not including what’s left in the bowl.” “Uhhh, five. At least five.” “Five?!” “Yeah, I

Recently you may have noticed that the blog has suddenly shifted from having more photos of Emily to more photos of me. This is not the work of vanity and

I’ve never liked the term wicked other than in reference to witches. On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, the word comes out a lot in reference to people’s

“It’s family camp in Patmos!” Emily exclaimed. She was absolutely right. In Kampos Beach, everyone at George’s Place cafe and on the beach knew each other. A large group celebrated

“Hellas!” they yelled as the car pulled over. Nicholas, our studio-hotel owner, his wife and daughter were in the car too. “We go around, you come with us!” So we

I thought her head would explode or that she would reach through the screen to strangle someone. Emily sat fuming, increasingly irritated at the computer which wasn’t doing her bidding

The moon appeared for the first time Saturday night. Emily says she caught a glimpse of it around the time we arrived, but I didn't. What we both know is

Every culture perfects something. Greeks, in my opinion, have perfected Sundays. One might think it’s not possible, but Greek Sundays are even more relaxed than the rest of the week.

At 6 pm, Emily said, “I think this one won’t get the turnout of the concerts last week.” The concert amphitheater at The Cave of the Holy Apocalypse had maybe

The man’s hand grabbed Emily’s wrist from behind just as she was mid-bite into her gyro. She jumped in alarm. He let go and started laughing. Nicholas, our studio-hotel owner

Today, Emily and I are on Day Two of our Great Budget Challenge. After almost two months of spending thoughtfully, but not in any structured, monitored way, we decided to

Rosh Hashanah has always been most meaningful to me on the years when I’m somewhere with no synagogue. This isn’t the first time I’ve been in a place where there

If you’re ever unfortunate enough to hear the words, “…inspired by the apocalypse,” it’s time to leave wherever you are. The Patmos’ Revelations of Music Festival took a strange twist

“Vacation is a lot of work!” Emily said yesterday. And in a very warped sense, it’s true. We have a lot of little tasks and projects to do. So, they

It was like Deja Vu, all over again….enjoying the view, eating the amazing pizza and salad and then racing down the mountain to make the concert on time. Patmos’ Revelations

An hour before the performance, we heard it bursting up from the hill, softening the landscape. The melodic sounds of the I Maestri Symphony Orchestra's practice gave background to the

“Do you have a menu of your crepes?” “No.” “Well, how much are they?” “It depends on what kind.” “What kinds do you have?” “Sweet or salty?” “Sallty.” “We have

A cool wind blew while down below, people talked about the environment as we all sat in an amphitheater on top of the Cave of the Apocalypse. The Patmos Religious

After spending so many years in Asia, it’s a little weird to be traveling and realize you’re just an average Joe. Unlike Asia where being white and American automatically put