After spending the majority of the past week confined to either the hotel or the theatre across the street, Jarred and I ventured out on our first official day off to see a bit more of Sao Paulo, Brazil.  We didn’t want to wander too far, as we were still feeling the effects of last night’s round of caipirinhas, Brazil’s official cocktail made with lime juice, sugar and a Brazilian distilled liquor called cachaca. 

 

Luckily about five or six blocks from our hotel we stumbled upon D...

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It's my first full day in Japan.  And as a combination of jet lag and the sun's brilliant light wakes me up in country's own version of the Motor City, Nagoya, I feel inspired to explore the area.  Armed with my camera, sunglasses and a light jacket, I head out the door of Tokyu Hotel.  


As I walk along litter free sidewalks crowded with business men and women on their morning commutes, I hear an woman's voice overpowering the sound of traffic, warbling loudly in rapid Japanese.  I soon discov...
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Everyone is looking forward to enjoying our day off today in Moscow.  Especially since our kind security team has organized a bus tour of the city.  Cruising the streets of Moscow in the comfort of a heated bus sounds ideal!  

After pilfering a sack lunch from the hotel's continental breakfast, Chris and I head to the lobby with our cameras and notebooks in hand.  Once we've all assembled, Tatiyana (our Russian tour guide) leads us to the purple coach bus we'll be traveling in for the day.

We s...
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 A generous dose of Xanax is highly recommended for anyone wishing to visit the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia.  Among the themes featured in the Russian art are disease, flooding, derelict architecture, drowning, war casualties, funeral processions, and death in general.  One especially uplifting image entitled "Inconsolable Grief" depicts a widow dressed in black holding a handkerchief to her mouth to stifle back tears as she adds yet another bouquet of lilies to the blooming collectio...
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The first night after I arrived in Russia, I slept like a baby through the night.  Unfortunately, ever since then, bedtime has been a different story.  Last night I forced myself to stay awake until 11:00 pm, and drifted to sleep, which I enjoyed until the ripe ol’ hour of 3:00 am.  Hooray for jet lag.  Actually, as annoying as it is, being awake for hours on end does have it’s advantages. 

For example, this morning, after lying in bed with my eyes permanently fixed open, I decided to ...

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Alongside an article in The St. Petersburg Times describing the death and destruction of a fire at a local nightclub ignited due to negligence of fire safety rules during a pyrotechnics show, I read about a movement started by a former St. Petersburg cop to expose corruption in the Russian police force.  Alexei Dymovsky release a You Tube video in which he speaks out against police quotas for prosecutions, and low wages, which he says ultimately leads to evidence fabrication and police abus...

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Today is our first day in Tianjin.  Eger to explore, I bug Chris as she unpacks her suitcase to leave everything in reckless abandon and walk around the city in search of adventure.  For the first half an hour or so after the hotel staff hands us our room key, Chris likes to organize her toiletries in the bathroom, arrange her snacks on top of the TV and acquaint herself with the little room we’ll call home for the next week. 

I, on the other hand, consider myself domesticated if I de...

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As I ventured out this morning, bound for the Beijing Zoo, I committed the ultimate of travel blunders here in China.  I took an absolutely ridiculous route to get where I was going, only to realize there was a much simpler way to go once I arrived.  In an act of what I can only guess was an inability for my body and mind to wake up, I rode the subway for about ten more stops than necessary, which honestly was quite enjoyable.  The Beijing Subway is in immaculate condition.  

I guess ...

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I could feel the sun’s intensity pierce through the thick folds of the course coach window curtain, and knew that the SPF 55 I’d slathered on earlier that morning just wasn’t going to cut it.  In defeat I pulled the curtain aside to reveal the lush countryside of Beijing’s outskirts.  As the bus climbed higher and higher up Yanshan mountain, my anticipation spiked as well.  In about a half an hour I’d be walking along the Middle Kingdom’s ultimate defense structure, the G...

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On every street corner you can spot him.  His eternal smile finds you from nearly every inch of the Peoples Square. And just when you think you’ve escaped his Gumby-like figure, a street peddler accosts you, shoving a stuffed, blue toy of his likeness in your face.  He is the face behind the slogan, “Better city, better life”.  He is the mascot of the 2010 World Expo, Haibao. 

 

With all the world’s eyes on Shanghai next year, great efforts have been taken to live up to the...

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