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Langkawi is Malaysia’s best-kept secret, a perfect off-the-beaten-track destination. It offers stunning long beaches, lush rainforests, night markets, and majestic waterfalls, and all of this without the tourist hype and crowds.

Pantai Cenang

Pantai Cenang is one of the most popular tourist areas in Langkawi. It features local and international eateries, duty-free shopping complexes, luxury resorts and a gorgeous beach

The Pantai Cenang Beach is located on the Western side it offers two kilometres of …

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an subterranean church located 200 meters underground in the Andean mountains of Colombia, carved out of solid rock salt. The Salt Cathedral has become a top tourist destination and an important place of pilgrimage in Central and South America.

The history of the Salt Cathedral goes back to the Muisca indigenous people who occupied this region before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The Muisca extracted salt from …

Whoosh – a giant burst of air breaks out of the water, and you are showered by a gentle mist that smells vaguely of salt and fish.  Immediately next to your small fishing (panga) boat, a gentle giant rises to the surface for an up close and personal encounter like nothing else on earth. 

The warm, protected lagoons of Baja California’s central Pacific coast, about 400 miles south of the US-Mexico border, are the perfect …

Opals, a brilliant gemstone celebrated for its kaleidoscope of color, are notably prominent in Australia, which produces around 95% of the world’s opals. While this shimmering treasure is not unique to Australia, notable deposits are found in South Australia’s Coober Pedy, Andamooka, and Mintabie, as well as Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs in New South Wales, and Queensland’s Quilpie and Winton districts. Many gemologists consider Australian opals to be the world’s finest.

The Coober Peddy …

There they are, on full display in front of you: George Washington’s legendary false teeth. The uppers aren’t that worse for wear, but the lowers have gaps that one could drive a truck through. But they are not made of wood, as many believe. The first president’s choppers were crafted from a combination of elephant ivory, human teeth, and cow teeth.

Despite the shoddy state of the stained dentures, Washington practiced pretty good dental hygiene. …

Situated in mainland China’s Qilian Mountains in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, the Horseshoe Temple, also known as Puguang Temple, is an expansive cave temple complex.  Within its walls is a treasure trove of grotto Buddha statues, showcasing the religion of the Northern Liang Dynasty up until the present millennium. The temple’s ambiance is enhanced by its coexisting Chinese Buddhist and Tibetan Buddhist temples, each displaying distinct architectural styles.

The Horseshoe Temple complex dates back to …

The town of Tequila had been on my radar for a few years, but it wasn’t until recently that I eventually made it to the fun-packed pueblo in the state of Jalisco. Often overlooked by foreign visitors, Tequila is a popular day trip for Mexican tourists who travel by rail and road from Guadalajara, about forty miles away. I decided to spend a few days in the town, which allowed me to experience the high-spirited …

Costa Rica is a land teeming with the paradoxes of its geographical location, bridging North and South America and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The resulting climate makes it ideal for year-round travel. The forces of nature are at their spectacular best here, churning out rainforest and volcanoes, great beaches, and vistas. The animals and plants of the region are of two great continents. The diversity of flora and fauna, geography, and terrain all come …

Rome can not be seen in a day, a week, or a year. No, a city with this much history takes centuries to get to know. It is literally a city of layers, one generation, one-millennium building on top of the next. It is the “Eternal City”, and we are mortals. Since time is not on our side, consider moving Rome higher on your list of places to visit, and start planning now. With a …

When on holiday how many of us seek out the parks which are free to enter and offer a peak into the country’s flora and fauna? The expansive green areas in busy city centers host entertainment events year-round and a slice of natural beauty from the well-manicured lawns, blooming flower beds, artistic statues, and flowing fountains.  

Central Park, New York

It comes as no surprise that the most famous park in the world is Central …

Situated in the desolate beauty of Chile’s Atacama Desert, a colossal hand emerges from the sandy surface. This iconic, larger-than-life sculpture known as “La Mano del Desierto” or “The Hand of the Desert” has been an intriguing spectacle for many who traverse Chile’s Route 5. The Hand of the Desert is an imposing, 11-meter (36 feet) tall sculpture that depicts a right human hand, rising eerily from the desert sands, palm facing up towards the …

Ohio is probably the last place you’d expect to find a beautiful island, but there are actually four. They are located in Lake Erie, and you don’t need a passport to visit them. Consider a vacation or day trip to Kelley’s, South Bass, Middle Bass, or North Bass Island. Each has its own attributes. If you come in on a private boat (or rent one) you can visit them all.

The best place to start …

It’s easy to be seduced by Oaxaca City’s abundant charms. From mouth-watering local cuisine to the streets awash with colorful colonial buildings and cacti, there’s a unique laidback vibe here, rarely found in large cities. Rich in indigenous culture, the area is famous for its folk art, particularly the vibrant hand-carved fantasy figures known as alebrijes which are produced in the surrounding villages and sold in the city. As well as the impressive Museo de …

Namibia sometimes scares me.

This southern African country is a desolate beauty of stark desert, glittering sand dunes, intriguing canyons and sheer escarpments. It’s absolutely stunning – yet utterly indifferent to the fate of travelers who come to admire it.

If your journeys are as much a part of the adventure as the destination, dramatic, mind-boggling Namibia is a must. There’s something about its dusty, deserted and utterly straight roads disappearing into the horizon to …