Before I came to Asia, I had never been in a knife fight. I had always considered political discussions best conducted when all parties agree to sit out the fiercest Atlantic weather inside the comforts of a heavy pint of beer. But there we began in some southeast Asian capital, whose name no one bothered [...]

Chapter 1 Golden Triangle Alex is seen visiting museums, temples, and other institutions catering to the mind and spirit, such as bars, with consistently reduced frequency. After three months of silence, we’ve caught up with him in the charming southwestern Chinese city of Lijiang — a city so delightfully well preserved that the ancient section [...]

Retroactively recounting my 2003-2004 southeast Asia trip through photos. Stayed in Tokyo for a week, burning through my budget, taking pictures as a disengaged observer. The first two shots are from Nikkō, a small town and temple in the hills of central Honshū, 140 km north of Tokyo. I found Tokyo to be full of [...]