Get your free February 2012 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper!  Pictured are snow monkeys soaking in the baths at Jigokudani monkey park in the Japanese Alps.  Choose the size that best fits your screen resolution. 1024×768 | 1280×800 | 1280×1024 | 1440×900 | 1600×900 | 1600×1200 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1080 | 1920×1200 | iPad | iPhone...

I’m bad at crafts. As in famously bad. And it turns out I’m particularly bad at traditional Japanese arts that require full attention to detail, such as paper cutting.On my 12-day trip to Japan, our group made several attempts at traditional craftwork. At Hoshinoya Kyoto, we put together...

Just as 9/11 changed many aspects of American life, so, too, has 3/11 – also called March 11, the date that the tsunami decimated the Sendai coast, affected Japan.   In Tokyo, more locals, particularly young women and couples, have been seeking out places with “healing powers,” such...

Every once in a while, you come upon something in your travels that goes beyond the ordinary, something that makes you grab your camera and thank whatever deity you believe in for the life that you get to live. For me, that moment came in Jigokudani monkey park in the Japanese Alps, when I stood face...

 This week’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is REFLECTIONS.  In late October 2007, Chris and I traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and many of the other temples nearby.  Pictured above is Angkor Thom Temple, with its reflection in the pool.

My husband and I went to southeast Asia on our three-week honeymoon back in October 2007, so the report is a bit older – and longer – than others. We spent three full days in Siem Reap and visited Angkor Wat (touring with a guide), visited a school supported by the Ponheary Ly Foundation...

My husband and I went to southeast Asia on our three-week honeymoon back in October 2007, so the report is a bit older – and longer – than others. Our trip took us to Bangkok, Chiang Dao in the north and Phuket in the south. To read the report, click here.