The Intrepid Museum in New York City is one of the most fascinating and underrated experiences in a city full of memorable adventures. For one, the museum is located on the USS Intrepid, a friggin retired aircraft carrier permanently docked on the Hudson River at Pier 86 in Manhattan! Talk about awesome; if you are a fan of military history or just amazing killing machines in general, this is the place to be! A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

My travels have certainly taken me to some of the world's most interesting places; and not just interesting historically, culturally, spiritually, nor those pertaining to amazing views, food, shopping, and partying.  Some of these places have been insanely crazy (in a fun way) and Haw Par Villa in Singapore definitely belongs in that category! In a nutshell, it's a theme park featuring a recreation of hell complete with demons and tortured souls; one that has scared generations of kids (the writer included when I first visited the place back in the 90s)! A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

Of all the structures in Islamic Spain, none had a story as iconic as that of the Alhambra of Granada. It is a tale told within the context of the almost 800 year long struggle (known as the Reconquista) by the various Christian kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula (now Spain and Portugal) to reconquer territory from the Muslims. The Alhambra was the last great Muslim stronghold in Spain, standing until 1492, when the Catholic Monarchs (Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon) took Granada in the final act of the Reconquista. To visit the UNESCO World Heritage site is to visit two sections forming the single monumental complex: the Generalife and beside it, the Alhambra. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

Back in 2012 and way before the current situation in the Holy Land, I was fortunate to have been able to visit not just numerous spots across Israel and Jordan, but also the West Bank in Palestine.  Going on a pilgrimage in itself, is a very rewarding experience; but to go alone was in a word.. transformative . For the first time in my young adult life, I was ultimately responsible for my health, safety, and well-being; to say that I grew up during this trip is an understatement. This journey also sparked a love for exploring places I had only read about but had not previously been; a love that has only grown this past decade. Indeed, traveling has become central to my psyche, and is a key reason for this travelogue's existence. Thirteen years later, I'm very happy to be revisiting this adventure. Arriving at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, a wide-eyed young me was ecstatic to be in the Middle East. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale. One...

No visit to NYC is complete without a trip to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), celebrated not just because of its fantastic and comprehensive collection but also for playing a starring role in the "Night at the Museum" film starring Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. And of all its attractions, the 94-foot-long blue whale model is the most iconic. Serving as the focal point of the massive Hall of Ocean Life, the whale is so popular that galas, dinners, even sleepovers are held under the massive sea creature. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

Amusement parks do not only cater to families, they also make for an awesome venue for a date with one's significant other. I was lucky to have experienced it both ways! Opened in 2010, Universal Studios Singapore is the first and only Universal Studios theme park in Southeast Asia and is a must visit when in SG. Located on Sentosa Island, a massive resort playground just south of mainland Singapore, USS covers almost 20 hectares; small by Universal theme park standards but packed with all the crowd favorites. It is also part of the larger Resorts World Sentosa complex, which includes a casino, SEA Aquarium, and several luxury hotels. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale with additional post-pandemic photos. Here's a pic of us back in 2019.

In the battle for the fate of the Iberian peninsula, one city stood as the final stronghold of Islamic rule, Granada. This is the story of how one of history's greatest power couples conquered its crown jewel, united their respective kingdoms, and funded voyages that led to the discovery of the Americas; transforming not only Spain but also the world. However, one cannot fully appreciate the city without learning about its bloody history. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

The phrase "fake it till you make it" is so deeply ingrained into the fabric of modern pop culture, that it stands as a mantra and battle cry for millions of people. One only has to look at the countless influencers, hustlers, so-called experts (from crypto bros, to NFT bros, to now AI bros) and the millions of dollars flowing into the industry of influencer marketing to see this reality in practice. However only one man can be considered the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) to ever have faked it till he made it. He is a man whose reputation has not only persisted but also grown in the century since his time, whose death seemed too impossible to have actually occurred, and whose actions had ramifications not just in his country, but in the actual history of the world. The man's name was Rasputin. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale. Grigori Rasputin was born on January 21, 1869 in the remote Siberian village of Pokrovskoye. To gauge how far that village is...

Owing to its status of being arguably the center of the modern world, New York has become a true melting pot for cuisine; showcasing Michelin-star gastronomical masterpieces, world-famous restaurants, food trucks, and holes-in-the-wall from almost every culture on earth across its five boroughs. At the time of this trip (back in good ol' 2016), we had the opportunity to go on the Best of Brooklyn Food and Culture Tour, one of Tripadvisor's most highly-rated activities in NYC. * And apart from the fantastic dishes that we got to enjoy that day, we got a solid sightseeing tour of Brooklyn, NYC's most populous borough. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

When one thinks of the word "megacity", Singapore definitely comes to mind. No other city in Southeast Asia, maybe even the world, balances the skyline, technology, and infrastructure of the first world, with the intricacies of its multi-cultural inhabitants, as well as Singapore has. And all this happened.. only in the last 40 years!  * Hard to believe that this whole country was once just a swamp-filled jungle. Today, Singapore's world famous Merlion is the figurative "king of the jungle" and the country's most famous tourist attraction. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale with additional photos post-pandemic.

At the center of the famous Spanish UNESCO World Heritage City of Cordoba stands an interesting structure known as the Mezquita; a building that has to be seen to be believed.  In a stunning reversal of the Muslim practice of converting captured churches into mosques, as with the case of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock and Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, the Mezquita was the former Great Mosque of Al-Andalus.. turned into a grand Catholic cathedral! * Officially known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Mezquita looks nothing like your typical Christian place of worship. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale.

Europe in the 1700s was a time of extravagance. The various royal houses of Europe were pretty much consolidated and stable within their borders, and while wars did break out between the major powers, some of the more interesting fighting happened in the realms of prestige and grandeur.  This was a period when royal courts competed over the best scientists, artists, entertainers, and philosophers to come and pretty much hang-out in their respective palaces. And this certainly was the period when they argued over who had the best, most "fabulous" home in the whole continent. * Thus this is the story of the Peterhof Palace and Gardens, a palace complex commissioned by Peter the Great. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic and pre-Russia-Ukraine-War tale.

The following are musings from over a decade of travels, expressed by self-made toy brick sets.

Airports are among my favorite places in the world; full of chatter, employees working purposefully, mishaps, and people buzzing at the thought of their upcoming trips. That excitement is palpable and contagious! However getting to one's departure gate is but the end of a long list of steps to tick from the to-do list. The following are musings from over a decade of travels, expressed by self-made toy brick sets. 

Creating this summary of all our adventures, for the benefit of long time friends of the travelogue and new readers. The info here is updated as of October 2025. 1. Map showing cities and sites in Europe I've been fortunate enough to explore since we started the travelogue in 2011. 2. Map reflecting data from the 1st but this time in country form. 3. My travel bucket list, in alphabetical order. 4. A list of favourite cities visited in no particular order and according to a number of factors: food, cultural experiences, historical significance, scenery, and shopping.

  Hello world, a lot sure has happened in the 5 years since we last published! We survived the great pandemic of our age. For you young-ins, that's Covid 19 (you'll learn a lot about it for sure). Artificial intelligence is disrupting EVERYTHING. As a note: this travelogue will continue to be (and will always be) written by a person; never AI. Nations are certainly going through some rather tumultuous times, to put it lightly.  Personally, your truly also went through some major life changes: Our family grew as we welcomed a son, born in the very year of the plague (2020). Read some life-changing books and listened to podcasts in the realm of philosophy (thank you Ryan Holiday, Yuval Noah Harari, Naval Ravikant) and general ways of living (thank you Tim Ferriss, Jocko Willink, Joe Rogan). What didn't change is the continuing mission to explore the world, albeit with a short 2 year pause during the height of the pandemic. Looking forward to catching up on a huge backlog of s...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is America's largest art museum. Located along Manhattan's prestigious Fifth Avenue and right next to Central Park, the "MET" (as it is lovingly called), is home to over 2 million treasures spread out over 17 departments; comprising over 3 thousand years of human history. * And along with being the most famous art museum in the United States, the MET is the third most visited museum in the world, after the Louvre and National Museum of China.

2019 and 2020 have been challenging years for Hong Kong. Protests against the local government, general population unrest, and as of this writing, the threat of a deadly coronavirus have rendered unto this megacity several blows that might take a few years to recover from. However, make no mistake about it, Hong Kong is still very much one of the world's great cities. Located at the crossroads of the West and China, this former British crown colony is one of the world's most significant financial centers, busiest commercial ports, and home to the highest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world. All photos were taken on a trip with friends, years ago. * To get an idea of how skyscraper-dense the HK skyline is, one must head to Victoria Peak, the highest point in the city!

On any journey to the Iberian peninsula, it is easy to focus all of one's time, budget, and attention to the more popular and glamorous cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon. However one cannot truly appreciate the richness of Spanish culture, without experiencing the city of Cordoba. One of the most important cities back in the Middle Ages, yet overlooked today, Cordoba has been inhabited for thousands of years; with its earliest inhabitants thought to be the Neanderthal humans whose fossils can be found all over this area of Spain. * Later on becoming a Roman settlement, whose people left their mark by constructing this fascinating and sturdy bridge that still stands to this day running across the Guadalquivir River! 

Due to decades of Soviet Communist rule, something startling happened to cathedrals and churches across the Russian Federation. With its chief creed of having no religion except the ideology of socialism, all churches within the vast Soviet empire were secularized; meaning they were stripped of their religious significance and turned into museums. * And what's truly amazing about all of this is that these churches are not just simple places of worship; a lot of them are among the largest, grandest, and most majestic churches on earth!