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Orangutans in Borneo (Kalimantan)
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Camp Leakey and the Rimba Lodge Everyone remembers where they were when Covid hit. In my case, I was in the forests of Borneo, the Indonesian section, known as Kalimantan. I’d wanted to go there since college, when I read Eric Hansen’s fascinating account, Stranger in the Forest: On Foot…
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Kawah Ijen: Indonesia’s Crater of Blue Fire
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last year, when as (bad) luck would have it, the day I landed in Surabaya, Kawah Ijen crater erupted, spewing toxic fumes so intense they killed the entire riparian ecosystem in and around the crater. Officials closed it to all human entry (not even the sulfur miners were allowed to…
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Dancing with Dragons: A Visit to Komodo Island
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Few things in my childhood filled me with awe as the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on the planet. While it does not breathe fire, its bite is so fetid that the animal’s primary hunting method is just to waylay its prey, bite it, and wait for it to die…
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Enjoying Yucatán’s Mysterious Cenotes
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Nestled within the lush landscapes of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula lies a world of wonder—an intricate network of cenotes, or natural sinkholes, that captivate visitors with their beauty and rich history. These enchanting formations, often adorned with crystalline waters and lush vegetation, serve not only as stunning natural landmarks but also…
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Trekking with Jane Goodall’s Chimpanzees
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I remember as a child watching Public Television specials about Jane Goodall and the amazing work she was doing in Tanzania’s jungles, researching them and documenting them and living with them, unafraid. I never dreamed I’d be so lucky as to end up in Gombe National Park myself one day,…
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The Beautiful Bungalows
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Most people heading to Cabo want a place with a water view, but sometimes the best spots lie a bit back from the shoreline, as is the case with the Bungalows Hotel, where I have stayed multiple times and where each visit feels like I’m coming home. The staff here…
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Sunsets of Tulum: My debut novel.
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Most of you know me as a travel writer and photographer, but as of today, I’ve added “novelist” to my name as well. Sunsets of Tulum is a dark, literary love story about a man who takes a short break in Cancún that changes his life forever. It’s a novel…
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Incredible stay at the White Elephant, Nantucket
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It’s not every day that one gets to enjoy true hospitality at one of the best hotels in the world, but at the White Elephant Nantucket you can expect to be treated like royalty…and royalty might indeed be staying next door. Though since I was staying in the even-more-amazing 32…
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Tantalizing Tanabe: Japan’s Hidden Delight
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Getting a media stay at a hotel overnight or a weekend is one thing, but what about a whole week to explore a region so many visitors to Japan never get to see? Priceless. I couldn’t have been luckier to work with the Tanabe tourism board to uncover its secrets…
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Borobudur Temple: The Largest Temple in the Buddhist World
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I am not a spiritual, dharma-seeking kind of guy. In fact, I think that I’m well aware how lucky and “blessed” I’ve been in this world and try to treat this world and its peoples as Paradise, rather than think there’s anything grander coming next. But to witness daybreak at…
