Capping a Decade of Railroad Bridge Ties

In early 2009, the Cambodian railway system was in shambles. A French company was brought in to repair the network … More

Two Beaches, Worlds Apart

I’ve seen my share of beach. From Spain to France, from California, Florida and Mexico to Bermuda and Turks and … More

A Bali Pilgrimage

You Can’t Go Home Again, the title of Thomas Wolfe’s posthumous novel, came to mind recently when I made my … More

The Spirit of Rouzan

I was reading the New York Times yesterday, when I fell on a recent story which I expected to be … More

Sacred Metal (& Mourning)

This past Saturday evening, satiated from another jam-packed day at the Ubud Writers Festival, and fatigued by the blazing sun, … More

The Kitemen of Kerobokan

Along with fishing, climbing trees, playing on scooters, and turning leaves into whirligigs, kite-flying is a pastime of Balinese boys. … More

Vilnius to Valbonne

It’s unlikely that Lithuania appears on the radar for a family reunion. Indeed, it’s not a country that usually falls … More

The Sun Always Rises

Consider this. A scraggly line, more like an arc. Its  form still invisible in the darkness. Yet we wait, steeped … More

The Day Bali Imposed a Digital Detox

Have you ever heard a kingfisher sing? Or seen swallows flit straight across the sky unhindered (for once) by pockets … More

Lessons About Life (Or How I Spent a Day at LG)

It was one of those days. When all your plans go to pot. Like yesterday, the day I launched my … More