Tag
Bodie: 3 hours in this ghost town won’t disappoint you “Goodbye God, I am going to Bodie”—a fascinating den of vice, isolated between California and Nevada. Lost among gold, prostitutes, and Chinese laundries, Bodie lies abandoned since 1936, left exactly…
Continua a leggere
A Truck in the Desert The old overloaded truck trudges along the track in the desert. Around it are a few shrubs and, in the background, a barren rock face. It carries a mountain of belongings, with a group of…
Continua a leggere
4 hours among the ice for a breathtaking discovery. In Svalbard, beyond the Arctic Circle and on the borders of the former Soviet Union, lies Pyramiden, a Russian mining settlement abandoned in the late 1990s. A “hotel” among the bears….
Continua a leggere
POSTPONED DUE TO THE POLITICAL SITUATION From the gardens of Srinagar to the monasteries of Leh in Ladakh, the “Indian Tibet,” passing through Delhi and Agra. A journey through nature and mysticism, between the sacred and the profane, earthly pleasures…
Continua a leggere
MONGOLIA Genghis Khan’s Empire A journey through Mongolia is an extraordinary adventure that traverses majestic landscapes rich in history. The trip begins in the vibrant capital, Ulaan Baatar, a blend of modernity and nomadic traditions, where you can visit the…
Continua a leggere
Trip to Ghana & São Tomé From Slave Fortresses to Portuguese Cocoa Plantations From the forts of the Gold Coast, where enslaved people were sent to colonies in the New World, to the UNESCO site of the Ashanti capital and…
Continua a leggere
Djibouti and Somaliland are two countries in the Horn of Africa. Each has a unique history and culture. Djibouti is famous for its natural beauty. With its spectacular mountains and crystal-clear waters, Djibouti offers perfect opportunities for swimming and snorkeling….
Continua a leggere
Stopover in Cotonou … for New Year’s We’d been talking about a trip to Ghana, Togo, and Benin since last July. Then, plans shifted to Namibia, and the original trip was postponed to December. In the end, I had to…
Continua a leggere
Monday afternoon in Djenné What impresses most in Djenné, beyond the mud mosque, is the number of Quranic schools. The Quranic schools in Djenné are everywhere. Some say there are forty, and I believe that’s a cautious estimate. On Monday…
Continua a leggere
The Surprises of Zanzibar It’s a gray, stifling July afternoon, and after flying over a carpet of palm trees, interrupted here and there by the ruins of Arab buildings, we land in Zanzibar. In Salomé’s Garden in Zanzibar. If Zanzibar…
Continua a leggere
Cape Verde to Discover The morning after my arrival, following breakfast and freeing myself from a chatty colleague, I headed to the beach, marking the beginning of my journey in Cape Verde. The resort wasn’t anything special, and the food…
Continua a leggere
New Orleans: the soul of Louisiana It’s not necessary to visit the city during Mardi Gras to experience the vibrancy of the American Deep South. New Orleans is a city where jazz and Cajun cuisine intertwine. Let’s start with a…
Continua a leggere
Landed in Khartoum Endlessly fine, incredibly intangible. This is the arrival in Khartoum: sand that enters the nose, the mouth, and soaks the clothes more than rain. The Gulf Air flight from Bahrain landed on time. The airport is shabby,…
Continua a leggere
Ahmed’s Algeria. I return to Algiers after ten years. The decaying capital of French Maghreb, Algiers, as well as Ghardaïa, I had already left populated by the first Italian and Japanese tourists. The visit to Algiers and Ghardaïa with Ahmed…
Continua a leggere
2* Michelin and a $700 bill for a visionary chef At Saison Restaurant in San Francisco, Joshua Skenes is in charge, but the success is shared with the brigade de cuisine that also serves at the tables. It’s certainly an…
Continua a leggere
The vineyards of the Boers. Joyce, the driver, small and reserved with an infinite dark complexion, drives without revealing any emotion, without a thought, as if suspended over a green sea in the South Africa of the Boer vineyards. Strictly…
Continua a leggere
The music of silence on the banks of the Nile. We are not particularly enthusiastic about being in Khartoum, and the city doesn’t seem to offer many attractions. In Sudan along the Nile. Dust and sand, bumpy roads, and then…
Continua a leggere
The mansions on the Mississippi. A journey into the myth of “Gone with the Wind.” In Louisiana, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the Great River Road, you can find the Mississippi plantations of cotton planters. All facing the…
Continua a leggere
In Jaipur at the Rambagh Palace for a Gin and Tonic. Jaipur is a beautiful city, but I arrived there after a 400-kilometer journey. After all, it’s the distance between Bologna and Rome: three and a half hours from tollgate…
Continua a leggere
“Welcome back at the Peninsula.” The “angels” of the Peninsula in Hong Kong are in white jackets and fine black-and-white striped trousers, greeting me with smiles and rescuing me from the chaos of arrivals at Hong Kong airport. They don’t…
Continua a leggere
Back to Singapore. And often, if traveling in the East. Because Singapore is like Hong Kong, a hub of life, business, and activities that mobilizes a diverse humanity. After wandering among the “Asian Tigers,” Singapore serves as a stop to…
Continua a leggere
Cari, the scents of India in Mauritius. Imagine a blend of India and Madagascar, with just a few European and Chinese nuances, all condensed into the few square kilometers of the tropical island of Mauritius. So grand, lofty, and at…
Continua a leggere
The Clouds of Da Nang. It often rains in Da Nang. But even when the sun is shining, the clouds are never absent. The clouds are small and airy, soft and wispy. They move quickly from one end of the…
Continua a leggere
Hearst Castle. Europe Elsewhere. A dream of an entrepreneur that magically becomes reality. A piece of the Old Continent transported to a deserted hill overlooking the ocean. Hearst Castle and much more is the castle envisioned by publishing magnate William…
Continua a leggere
Lunch with power. The places for Power Lunch in Washington aren’t that many; the ritual is indeed super exclusive. Washington is not America, but it is here that the nation’s destiny is decided. Power rests in the hands of politicians,…
Continua a leggere
It is not uncommon in Malaysia to see kites flying; there are many of them in all sizes, colorful, with long tails, and… musical. The tradition of kites in Malacca is very old, and it is said that the sultans…
Continua a leggere
In Yemen, amidst incense, qat, and coffee, discovering what remains of Arabia Felix. Even today, it remains unclear whether the Queen of Sheba was truly born in Ma’rib, on the edge of the desert in central Yemen, and whether she…
Continua a leggere
The henequén haciendas in Yucatán are among the most captivating and historically rich residences in Mexico. Even today, traveling along dusty paths, often bordered only by tall cacti and lush agaves, one suddenly comes upon the henequén haciendas in Yucatán. These…
Continua a leggere
Stopover in Taipei on the Way to Vietnam On a bright weekend, we set out to rediscover Hong Kong, the mythical gateway to the East—relaxed, opulent, spicy, and sensual. We walked both familiar and lesser-known paths, tried renowned hotels and…
Continua a leggere
Pampa, the treeless land of Argentina. In the vast plains of the Pampa, improbable castles, sumptuous Palladian mansions, English cottages, and Pompeian houses arise. These are the eclectic residences of the *estancieros* who arrived from all over Europe between the…
Continua a leggere
Pedro de Alvarado was the lieutenant of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He arrived in this area in 1523. After overcoming the resistance of the Quiché Indians, on July 25, 1524, he founded Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, today’s…
Continua a leggere
Trip to Turkmenistan on the Silk Road A trip to Turkmenistan begins in the capital, Ashgabat, with the discovery of the Darvaza gas crater. A journey through Turkmenistan is a rediscovery of one of the Silk Roads, passing through its…
Continua a leggere
Audience with the King of Dahomey (today’s Benin) It seems that securing an audience with the King of Dahomey isn’t so difficult. His Highness is known to be approachable and open-minded, both with his subjects and with visitors. It doesn’t…
Continua a leggere
Borobudur: 1 reason not to miss Java and experience luxury and mysticism at its finest. Amanjiwo lies at the foot of the largest Buddhist temple in Java, and it is a timeless dream. Built with black lava stone and local…
Continua a leggere