Having grown up in austere protestant American churches conspicuously devoid of ornate or lavish decoration, I never felt particularly connected to those holy places. My personal spirituality always manifested in elaborate, intricate, and shamanically hypnotic self-made shrines and environments….
The Best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai
February 9, 2022
I have somewhat of an obsession with the northern Thai specialty, khao soi. It’s a typical northern Thai curry noodle soup that is ubiquitous in Chiang Mai but uncommon in American Thai restaurants and even uncommon in Bangkok and…
Cuisine de Garden – January 22, 2022 (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
February 1, 2022
Cuisine de Garden was originally opened by Chef Leelawat “Nan” Mankongtiphan in Chiang Mai in 2011. A self taught cook, later formally trained in Japanese and French cooking, Chef Nan has appeared on television cooking shows and competitions. After…
Day 795 – Chiang Mai, Thailand – Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields
January 28, 2022
Northern Thailand. There is something haunting in the mist covered mountains and emerald rice fields surrounding the city. Something that I connect to. A reverence for the spirits of trees and nature. Of something beyond our earthly pursuits. A…
Day 754 – Istanbul, Turkey – Going native in Kadıköy on the Asian side.
December 4, 2021
It is impossible for me to walk through the streets of Istanbul and not ponder chaos theory and particle swarm dynamics as a system of organization. The symphonic madness. The rivers of kinetic energy. The ancient flow. When I…
Day 101 – Cappadocia, Turkey – Underground cities, fairy chimneys, and hot air balloons.
January 27, 2020
After nearly 4 months of travel Cappadocia was the first place actually on my list of travel goals. It’s a magical area in Central Anatolia about 6 hours northwest of Syria. The unique volcanic landscape left geological formations that…
Day 91 – Next level street food and the truly amazing cuisine of Istanbul, Turkey. (part 4 of 4)
January 23, 2020
Istanbul is the center of worlds, the relentless meeting of east and west, and the cuisine is no less complex. Influences from all over the world combine to create something truly new and exciting to me. Outside of poor…
Day 91 – Visiting the mosques, palaces, and antiquity of Istanbul, Turkey. (part 3 of 4)
January 21, 2020
Aside from the endless neighborhoods with their shops and food there are things to see in Istanbul. Big amazing things. Ancient things. The history of the city is almost impossible to comprehend. Layers on layers on layers. And some…
Day 91 – From Taksim Square to the Hagia Sophia: Walking Istanbul’s city center neighborhoods (part 2 of 4)
January 18, 2020
Istanbul is enormous. It has over 15 million people. That’s almost double the largest city in the United States. And it would take a few lifetimes to actually see it all. In my two weeks I barely scratched the…
Day 91 – Istanbul, Turkey – An introduction (part 1 of 4)
January 15, 2020
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m sitting around a makeshift table in a hidden little fourth story bar on a backstreet in the Tarlabaşı neighborhood of Istanbul. I’ve just proven to my skeptical table mates that you can in…