The national drink of Dominican Republic is nothing like marijuana. I promise. It sure sounds like it, especially if you’re speaking quickly, but don’t get the two confused— marijuana is a drug and mamajuana is a drink. In fact, this is a mamajuana recipe, and quite likely the most straightforward one you’ll find. So let’s …

Japan is a place where people will pay a eighty bucks for a melon, five dollars for a chocolate truffle, and fork over hundreds for less than a pound of beef. I’ve never before witnessed such absurdity in pursuit of exclusivity. But I don’t blame them for it, either; not after trying Kobe beef in …

It’s taken awhile to finish worrying about Cambodia. Scattered across the country are monks and temples and farms and Killing Caves and further details of a tragic past that’s hard to comprehend no matter how many times you hear about it. A visit to the Angkor temples has become a hallmark of the modern “bucket …

Vietnam does not make people think of sweets, by any means. In fact, you’ll notice a lot of the same players in the Vietnam dessert scene: coconut, rice, bananas, and fruit jellies. This has much to do with what foods are able to grow in Vietnam, meaning that the differences between northern and southern Vietnamese …

When people dream of visiting an island paradise, rarely do their minds drift beyond the possibilities of the South Pacific or the Caribbean. So here’s another possibility, with just as many beaches and tropical fruits, and some impressively good chocolates: the southernmost islands of Okinawa, Japan. In Okinawa in winter, the climate is warm and …

Elephants are much hairier up close, I’ve recently realized. Their speckled foreheads hold in their superb memories, full of events they’d probably prefer to forget. As smoke gathered in the air next to his right ear, his smile crinkled in anticipation of another banana. Thep the elephant looked so happy eating those bananas that we …

Life can be stunning. It’s what happens after you craft, and often change, your lofty itinerary. Bohol is a beautiful island, the highlight of my many weeks in the Philippines, and I was stunned to find what you can pack into a single day. There are tiny primates, a bevy of bridges, and the beautiful …

Cuban street food in Cuba is a mix of absolutely delicious local cuisine, and an entire country just doing their best with what they have. Communism in Cuba didn’t end just because Castro died, and Cuban street food is the prime example of how this lack is felt by every single Cuban, every single day. …

Baracoa is the best Cuban city to visit for those of us who just aren’t city people. It’s ocean side, known for nature and curried seafood, as well as chocolate. On our first full day in the area, my travel companion and I each spent just $10 on our activities, near half of which was …

My Cuban Mother “Vas a estar así.” She makes a tick-tick-ticking noise, imitating a train chugging along as she shakes her shoulders and chest forward and then to either side; she’s not a train, but she’s still a force to be reckoned with. My Cuban surrogate mother, Rosa, is skeptical of my desire to ride …