So what did 2010 look like? to me, this was a year of exploration and realization. To give you a quick insight into my 2010, here are some of the highlights of my 2010 as it was reflected in my

Onufri National Museum & Saint Maria’s Church : Berat
Inside the walls of the Berat Castle, within the area of Saint Maria’s Sleep Church, is the Onufri Museum – named after one of Albania’s finest artists. We had the pleasure of attending a tour of the place given by

Berat Castle : Albania
Berat, the Albanian white city, has one major attraction which makes it a very popular among the tourists coming to Albania – the Berat Castle (Berat Kala). Unlike the castle I visited in Kruja which hosts museums, shops and restaurants,

Daniel Salomon : Israeli music & memories
Music perhaps serves as the strongest reminder that I’m still – to some extent – Israeli. If there’s something I truly miss being away from Israel is Israeli music and having the chance to go to live concerts where I

Berati–White City : Bektashism Tekke – Shabbatai Zvi
Our explorations of the Balkan religions somehow always seemed to revolve around the topic of the exotic Bektashim religion and finally brought us to a tiny hidden gem in the outskirts of Alabnia, a town called Berat (or Berati). Generally

White City Jerusalem–Views from Mount of Olives
Somehow, Jerusalem looks a bit different from different angles, and unfortunately many Israelis – due to what I perceive as somewhat ignorant political sensitivities – don’t make the effort to try and take a look at this city from the

Shanghai’s Old Chinese Town
One of Shanghai’s interesting Chinese areas that’s a bit different than your usual Shanghai European colonial meets urban monstrosities, is Shanghai’s Old Town. Probably one of the world’s most crowded places during the weekends, giving HK’s Mongkok a good fight,

Taiwan’s National Center for Traditional Arts – Luo Dong–Ilan
Taiwan’s National Center for Traditional Arts (NCTA) set at Luodong in Yilan County is not often visited by tourists, but it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area. Built to preserve the Taiwanese traditional arts, the park offers a

Lung Ha Wan Country Trail : Clear Water Bay
Heading out from the Clearwater Bay Country Park after doing the circular Clearwater Bay Tree Walk, we proceeded to the Lung Ha Wan Country Trail with scenic views of Clearwater Bay in all directions from a 290m peak – Tai

Clearwater Bay Tree Walk & Country Park
One gorgeous weekend a few of us from HKUST set out for a short hike not too far away from the university at Clear Water Bay. First stop – Clear Water Bay Country Park which offers a really nice family