On the outskirts of Kyoto lies a place of amazing beauty, a place so green and silent it speaks to your heart and soul…at least before or after the hordes of tourists pour through… According to Wikipedia, Arashiyama is a nationally-designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, and deservedly so. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere. There’s a hush in the place, a special feeling, that is hard to put into...

Kyoto is a city of contrasts – modern buildings and very old temples, the latest fashions and traditional kimonos. It’s the kind of place I envision when I think of Japan. My first morning in Kyoto, I navigated the train system to get to Fushimi Inari, the temple of 10,000 gates (which should also be called the temple of a million steps!). It sits at the base of a mountain with thousands of giant red gates all in a long row snaking...

Close to Yudanaka is the famous Snow Monkey Park, where Macaques, young and old, come to hang out in the hot springs. It’s one of the only places in the world where this monkey business is observed. To get there, after a short bus ride, there is a beautiful 30 minute walk on a winding trail through a forest filled with the scent of pine. At the end of the main trail, a rushing river roars past, with waterfalls and an onsen, its old...

North of Chang Mai in Thailand is the city of Chang Rai and the famous White Temple, and nearby, several different Hill Tribes make their homes. A little further north, is the Golden Triangle, which makes for a very full but fun and interesting day. First, on your way, stop by the hot springs, where you can buy and boil eggs (quail or chicken) in the steaming water… Then head to the White Temple, which rises like a sparkling white sugar...

Who doesn’t like Thai food?!! I love to eat it, I’d just never cooked it, and not being the world’s greatest cook, I didn’t know what to expect. But after a high recommendation from other guest house visitors, my Aussie friend Soraya and I headed to the Thai Orchid Cookery school for a day of cooking and eating… It’s owned and run by a lovely young couple who have been sharing their cooking skills for 7 years...