Blogs

To truly understand Brazil, it seems to me, you of course should visit inimitable Rio de Janeiro, but you also really must come to this city of 3 million (metro area 4 million) up on the coast of the country’s northeastern state of Bahia. Founded in 1549 as the first capital of Portugal’s new colony, Salvador is one of the Americas’ oldest still-existing cities, and this city and state have essentially been the crucible of Brazilian culture and identity.

Today, as the country’s third largest

North America has only three countries officially, but even so, culturally manages to be an amazingly varied continent. There’s no better example than the robust, vibrant francophone culture of Canada’s Quebec province. Its historic capital (pop. 541,000, metro 806,000), even more than larger, higher-profile, and more multicultural Montreal, is a lovely place to experience this close up, and summer is when la Ville de Québec truly blossoms.

Founded by explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1608 at t

Is Costa Rica a new foodies’ travel destination? Hotel Trópico Latino Chef Randy Siles takes the world by surprise showing off Costa Rican cuisine.

Award-winning and gaining international celebrity status in his role as Costa Rica’s Ambassador of National Gastronomy, Randy Siles is loving life as a top chef in Costa Rica. He lives and works steps from one of the country’s prettiest beaches, sharing his passions of surfing with creating inventive sustainable cuisine at Hotel Trópico Latino in Sa

Although only a 15-minute drive north of Long Island's chichi Hamptons, Baron’s Cove in Sag Harbor feels miles away from the full-court press of high society's playground of the rich and famous.

Sag Harbor's rich heritage as a whaling port and later in manufacturing, most visible in the elaborate brick Watchcase Factory now converted into loft-style town homes, shape the village's vibrant walkable downtown and reflect the community surrounding it.

Overlooking the tranquil harbor yet just a five-m

by Cristóbal Ramírez

The Acropolis, the Plaka, and the rest of Greece‘s compelling capital are a treasure chest you could rummage through for days on end. But just as important to this ancient country and culture are sites out in the hinterland, where the air is purer and in many cases life is still simpler. Here are the top 4, all within 180 kilometres (112 miles) of Athens.

Corinth  

The closest-in at just 80 kilometres (48 miles), this ancient city on the Pelopponese peninusla is home to

Sayulita, a charming little town on the Riviera Nayarit north of Puerto Vallarta, is a beach fit for adventurers. Age doesn’t matter, and you can come along with your family, your partner or with friends. The hallmark of visitors to Sayulita is their willingness to embark on new experiences, ranging from taking surf classes to camping by the seaside and making friends from many different countries. In this paradise on the famous Nayarit Riviera you can rest at night; during the day, adrenalin an

‘Portmeirion is a gorgeous visual poem that will melt the hardest heart’  
                                         - Rough Guide Wales

A lot of people remark that Portmeirion, a private village on the coast of North Wales, reminds them of Portofino, in Italy. It does, in a way, but really, it has a charm of its own. Even the architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, always repeatedly denied claims that his layout was based on that village. I think I once read somewhere that he claimed he’d never been

Low-cost dishes local favorites that are super easy to make.

Purple Cabbage Salad

Curly strips of purple cabbage are probably one of the most beautiful things you can put on a plate, and they taste great with just extra sweet and sour sauce.

Vietnamese purple cabbage salad is mixed with orange strips of carrots and salt'n'pepper shrimp and then topped with roasted peanuts and coriander. The final step is to soften the strips with a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, cooking oil, and eithe

Perhaps best known as the venue of the annual Nobel Peace Prize (awarded each December 10), this gracious, attractive city (pop. 942,000/metro 1.7 million) has been voted one of the world’s most “liveable”, with a marvelous menu of historic/cultural sites, dining, and more. But today’s Norwegians in my experience tend to be mellow and not much prone to tooting their own Viking horns. What that means for visitors is a delightfully low-key but high-reward experience without the crowds you expect

Malta is a small Mediterranean Island country that is rich in history. Endowed with the eye-catching historical architectural building, Malta becomes a great historical place to visit.  Its strategic position and the fair weather has attracted many tourists. Malta has a history of having many ancient structures in the world. Its terrain is rocky and flat with many cliffs and bays at its coastlines which provide an ample harbor.

Travelling

Traveling in Malta is nothing short of fun and memorable ad

In Brazil, there is always music playing. It is the fuel for our daily fire! Music is a normal part of the city hum you hear all day long in every corner of this country. In Brazilian culture, there is a natural encouragement to sing out loud and dance for the sake of dancing. There isn't a shame around it, but rather a deep joy that comes from feeling the music. We sing it in the streets, hear it on those small transistor radios as we buy our newspaper, dance to it with our kids in our living

Many if not most countries of the world, of course, set aside choice pieces of territory to protect and often showcase precious natural environments. But thanks to its size and a conservationist ethos dating back to the mid-19th century (though these days being increasingly threatened), few countries offer the number and diversity of natural parks – state and national – as the United States of America, from “sea to shining sea”, as its national anthem poetically puts it. And its 400 national p

Rajasthan, a land of culture and traditions is the largest state of India in terms of the area. Filled with vivid culture and diverse geographical area, Rajasthan though is known for its long stretched golden deserts, hot and scorching days of summer and people covering long desert way in search of water. As said ‘Exceptions are always their’, even this hot state has a place which is just contract to the behavior of the state.

We are talking about beautiful region which is famous as the only H

by Cristóbal Ramírez


A drive of a skosh over two hours south of Mexico City, Puebla is not one of Mexico’s star cities for visitors, yet still has a huge amount to offer them. Of course that’s at no time more true than today, the Cinco de Mayo, where the event that spawned one of the United States’ (especially California‘s, yet not Mexico’s) red-letter days occurred.

What does all that mean, you might wonder. Well, founded in 1531, this UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1862 was the site of an

There are few places in the world where you can feel like you’ve entered a National Geographic wildlife documentary in person. Costa Rica is one of those places.

Sandwiched between North and South America and the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica is an amazing bridge of biodiversity rich in animals and plants.

In the southern part of the country, the Osa Peninsula is one of the most unspoiled places for nature lovers. Estimated to hold 3 percent of the world’s biodiversity and be home

Writing as an expat, we all love the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, but occasionally we yearn for a little bit of peace and quiet. Not to mention this time of year it’s a bit…. bleak, isn’t it? So instead of heading down to the local beer hơi this weekend, why not head somewhere quiet outside the city to see what Vietnam has to offer outside of Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay? Here are my five favorite spots that are close enough to get to this weekend for a day or two:  

Mai Chau

A rural district of Hoa Binh

Boston's Seaport District is close to iconic downtown Boston attractions like Faneuil Hall and Boston Commons, yet off the beaten path enough to not be on the radar of tourists. It takes a little extra effort to walk over the Seaport Boulevard Bridge and head to the piers packed with boat tours and restaurants.

Located in South Boston or Southie as locals affectionately refer to it, the Seaport District has long been a trade port for Atlantic seafood trawlers. It's no accident that Legal Seafo