Honolulu, HI — You’re in Hawaii, so many choices. Do you go to the beach and work on your tan? What about a luau or learning to surf? Or you could spend some time volunteering at The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). That’s exactly what I did. Now in its Read more
Toronto, Ontario — Canada is often called, “The Great White North, ” but in Toronto there are over 130 different languages spoken. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, no one is talking about building walls, instead they are talking about diversity and no where is that diversity greater than in Read more
Toronto, Ontario — “Uh, Toronto . . . that’s in Canada isn’t it?” A man recently responded when I told him where I’d been. Sadly like many Americans, he’s never been to Canada and probably can’t find it on a map. What a shame. I’ve been to Canada nine times Read more
Bainbridge Island, WA– Walking down Winslow Way among trendy shops, restaurants and art galleries, Bainbridge Island seems like any other over priced tourist destination, but dig a little deeper and what you find here may surprise you. With recent efforts to ban Muslims from entering the country and talk of Read more
Seattle– It’s President’s Day , I love long weekends. It’s a chance to get away and my favorite escape is Seattle. A lot of people think it’s crazy to visit there in February, but as far as I’m concerned, anytime of year is a great time to visit The Emerald Read more
Hualien, Taiwan — The Portuguese called it Formosa, the beautiful isle and they weren’t kidding. Fifty percent of Taiwan is forested. There are six national parks and the most popular of all is Toroko in Eastern Taiwan. If you only come to Taiwan and visit the cities like Taipei and Read more
Taipei, Taiwan — Travel can lead you to shedding your inhibitions and as I found out, sometimes even your clothes. Taiwan is one of the world’s top destinations for hot springs. The water in these springs are rich in minerals that are supposed to be beneficial for everything from sore Read more
Honolulu, HI — During the filming of a recent Hawaii Five 0 episode, actor Michael Ng was apprehensive as he stepped on to the set for the first time in two years. “I was afraid I’d be rusty, but it turned out to be one of the best acting experiences Read more
Molokai, HI — Think of it as a wild roller coaster ride, except that you are on a mule. Yes my ass hurts! No, I’m not talking about the mule! It was one of those bucket list things I had to do, taking a mule ride on the world’s tallest Read more
Kaunakakai, Molokai — I’m sure I looked out of place that first day. “Where you from–Osaka?” a local man asked. “Los Angeles,” I replied. “How long you been here?” he responded. “Just arrived,” I explained. You won’t find many tourists in Molokai. There are no billboards or stoplights. Cell phone Read more