On the northern side of Lijiang, starting from Wufeng Pavilion, is a large area that extends the old town of Lijiang, with a beautiful lake park, with grand views of the snowy mountains in the back (like Jade Dragon Snow Mountain).
Trakai Castle : Lithuania
After enjoying the lovely Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, I wanted to explore quick getaways in the are, and so was recommended to head off to the west to see Trakai, which features the Trakai Castle – a 14th century beautiful
Kandawgyi Park : Yangon
In blazing hot 37-40 degrees I set out to explore Yangon on foot. I started out from the Shwedagon Pagoda, without doubt the top attraction in Yangon, and then searched for the next thing to do in the area. Locals
Visions of Lakes Shikotsu and Toya : Hokkaido Japan
My recent summer was mostly spent in Asia, with the longest time spent in Japan. Since it was boiling hot down in central Japan, I made an unexpected change in my plans and went up to Hokkaido, to see a
Matthiessen State Park Hiking Trail : Illinois
Illinois is very flat, and it gets the somewhat deserved reputation of being a bit dull, especially in comparison to other areas in the US with much grander natural scenery. However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do,
Nymphenburg Palace Park : Munich Germany
My visit to Munich was filled with little surprises. Upon my arrival to Munich I was asked whether I wanted to go take a walk at a nearby park, and looking at the gloomy skies outside I was contemplating whether
Lake Starnberg : Munich Germany
Munich is a charming city, but there’s also a lot to explore in the nearby area. After a few days of gloomy European weather, the sun finally came out, and so it was time to hit the road and explore
Quanfu Temple – ZhouZhuang Watertown : Shanghai
Quite a few things to see when visiting the gorgeous watertown of Zhou Zhuang between Suzhou and Shanghai, but of all the local attractions the most impressive is perhaps the Quanfu Temple dedicated to Buddhism. It dates back to the
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens : Gainesville, Florida
I visited the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens while in Gainesville for an academic conference with the University of Florida (SSSP 2012). A lovely Gainesville student couple were sweet to host me while in Gainesville and were the ones to suggest visiting
Lafayette Heritage Trail Park : Tallahassee
One sunny day in Tallahassee I was heading out to spend another day staring at the computer and contemplating the inner-workings of the universe in some random coffee shop when my mind alerted a need for a break and I
