About 45 minutes down the road southwest from Jianchuan, along the busy Lijiang-Dali road is a town where most travelers fail to stop. No one pays too much attention to Shaxi these days. Its heyday is long gone. Once it stood on the busy Tea Horse Road—a less famous trading route than the Silk Road, [...]

One of the temples on Emai Shan sacred Buddhist mountain. By Stephen Bugno The Good The sights—Where else can you see the Great Wall of China, panda bears close up in their hometown, or a gorge the likes of Tiger Leaping Gorge? Nowhere. That’s why you come to China, for these heavy hitters. I won’t [...]

This video was filmed in February 2012. It was made together with Juno Kim of RunawayJuno.com. We paused in Luang Prabang for a couple of weeks on a trip through China, Laos, and Vietnam. I think it captures the essence of this tranquil city on the Mekong. If you enjoyed the video, please share with [...]

I started a series last year to try to describe to readers what it’s actually like in selected cities worldwide. Too often travel writers highlight points of touristic interest or glamorize a destination only to elevate it beyond its reality. That is their job: to sell destinations. I wanted to go beyond that and tell [...]

Sites like the Twin Dragon Bridge are become rarer every year. This is the type of place that you have to take the local mini-bus to get to and then show its name written in Chinese to the driver. When he stops to let you off, he needs to point you in the right direction [...]

View of the Yulong River from Dragon Bridge By Stephen Bugno The karst surrounding Guilin in southern China is famous throughout the world. These limestone mountains have been immortalized in Chinese scroll painting and on the back of the 20 Yuan bank note (used by one-fifth of humanity). Many travelers and tourists prefer to base [...]

My former classmate Alexey and his friend By Nelya Rakhimova There are places on the Earth where winter lasts almost 9 months. Yar-Sale is one of them. Located above the Arctic Circle, it is a small town with population about 5,000 people. It’s the administrative center of Yamal Region, which occupies the whole Yamal Peninsula. [...]

The following is a guest post. Valencia Valencia is Spain’s third city, but it is rising to become one of the most progressive. Trying to equal the cosmopolitan vitality of Barcelona and the cultural diversity of Madrid, it continues to reinvent itself. Leading the city’s way out of its former provincial reputation is the La [...]

The Gettysburg National Battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania   I hadn’t visited Gettysburg since I went with the Boy Scouts back in the mid 90’s. Upon returning, I set off to find out if Gettysburg could be interesting for international visitors. The fact that the results of this war changed the course of world history cannot [...]

By Beau Miller “It’s governed by a council/ All good souls and wise./ They’ve only $5 for armaments/ And the rest for cakes and pies.” -Pete Seeger, “Andorra” As your attorney, I advise you to rent a fuel-efficient automobile and drive at top speed to Andorra, but before you start packing the trunk with ether, [...]

By Stephen Bugno The Karpas Peninsula Jutting out to the northeast of Cyprus is the wild and wonderful Karpas Peninsula. This is the most remote part of the island where few tourists make the effort to reach. Public transportation is non-existent in these parts, so bring your own wheels or hitch a ride. It’s worth [...]

Since its founding, New York City has been crowded.  NYC real estate is such a commodity that disposing of the deceased has posed some unique challenges.  In many of the city’s cemeteries, the departed haven’t gone so quietly. St. Paul’s Chapel Churchyard NYC’s oldest public building in continuous use (George Washington prayed here), St. Paul’s [...]

By Stephen Bugno   Getting Oriented A great way to get oriented with Albany is by taking a tour with the Albany Aqua Ducks. Popular with both locals and visitors, the tour takes guests first by driving through the streets of the city and second on the Hudson River taking advantage of the dual nature [...]

  When I visited Egypt four years ago, I expected frustration and annoyance. I supposed I’d be hustled by street urchins and harassed by touts. I thought it’d be a junior India of sorts. I was wrong. Granted, you’ll get annoyed if you follow every seemingly friendly Mohammed to his cousins souvenir shop. But if [...]

By Stephen Bugno Spain is known for its fierce regionalism, which makes traveling to each corner of the country a very different and interesting experience. It’s also known for its food culture, rich history, and fine climate. One warning about Spain: Be careful, because you might end up liking it so much that you don’t [...]

A Taste of Alaska By Michael Bugno I’m a city boy through and through; nothing gets me more excited than the hustle and bustle of the crowds on a New York City street, the smell of roasted peanuts at the Nuts4Nuts cart, or the flashing lights of Broadway in Time Square. I like to be [...]

By Stephen Bugno The White Mountains are one of the top destinations for travelers in New England. But don’t let that turn you away. There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails, so it doesn’t feel crowded once you hit the backcountry. It’s popular for a reason: these mountains are tall, majestic, serene and offer [...]

By Isabel Eva Bohrer Ireland is a land of castles. While there are some places where you will have to shell out quite some money to be able to stay the night, others open their doors to everyone for a touristic visit. Here is a selection of five castles worth visiting on your next trip [...]