Gillian Rhodes is spending eight months in Cambodia to teach choreography workshops and produce an evening that shows the fusion between contemporary and Cambodian classical dance. In the meantime, she's alone in a country completely alien to her - her last time...
Asia
HINDU TEMPLE IN A MONKEY FOREST: An Unholy Climb to Bali’s Sacred Pura Lempuyang – by Guest Trekker Aleta Ulibarri
“We swear you’ll thank us for this,” is what Lonely Planet said. The travel book described it, quite simply, as one of Bali’s most sacred Hindu temples, and it turned out to be, quite simply, the opposite. Pura Lempuyang sits high on a mountain overlooking the Bali...
EVERYBODY’S GOTTA GO SOMETIME – Bathroom Survival Stories for World Travelers
Whenever I write or read about travel, I focus on adventure, learning, beauty, maybe even making a difference. But whenever I talk about travel, whether with global trekkers or homebodies, at some point we end up giggling and gasping over the same subject: bathrooms....
HONG KONG TRADITIONS: A History Museum, High Tea, and Modern Lights
If you've been following my series, Tracing China's Past, the following is a look at the final day of my first South China research trip for my novel. Tortillas from The Chungking Café will be loosely based on the history of my Mexican-Chinese grandmother. I learned...
PAINTING AROUND THE WORLD WITH A TEENAGE DAUGHTER: A Mother-Daughter Trek – by Guest Trekker Judy Edwards
My decision to leave and travel around the world with a 13-year-old was not impulsive but directed. At the time, I hardly realized the impact on everyone who was involved with this journey. The gift of telling the story from my current perspective is interesting in...
GHOST VILLAGE, LIVE MARKET: Old Culture in Modern Hong Kong
I’ve taken two trips to China to do research for a historical novel. Tortillas from the Chungking Café will be loosely based on the family history of my Chinese-Mexican grandmother. Here are more of my journal notes on Hong Kong, as I continue "Tracing China's Past":...
WORLD’S LONGEST ESCALATOR, WORLD’S SOREST FEET – Searching for Hong Kong History
As I continued my quest to Trace China's Past... Hong Kong April 12, 2008 Yesterday my translator Zhu Zhu and I returned to Hong Kong Island for another historic walking tour, because my feet just weren't sore enough yet. This time we walked to the old Central Police...
TORTURE & CHOPSTICKS – My Aunt was a Chinese Prisoner of War
Back to my promise to tell you about my search for family history in China — which I haven’t forgotten, though my recent book release has kept me quite busy. Here’s one of the more unusual rabbit holes I jumped into as I tried to chase a piece of my great aunt's...
MAKING MOMOS – Kitchen Culture with Nepali Refugees from Bhutan
I once took a cooking class in Thailand, but there’s no need to go that far to experience a foreign culture or learn an exotic dish. I recently learned to make momos, or Nepali dumplings, right here in Denver. My teachers were two Nepali refugees from Bhutan. This was...
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE – Cara’s book excerpt on the “Gender Equal” blog
When Indian activist Rita Banerji asked me to post an excerpt from my memoir on her blog, Gender Equal, I didn't just feel humbled - I almost felt ashamed. Gender Equal seeks to raise awareness of global gender inequities. The blog is an initiative of the 50 Million...
