Photo by David Coleman
Notes from the field
Kuthodaw Pagoda, Home of the World’s Largest Book
MANDALAY, Myanmar (Burma) – It’s known as the world’s largest book. But it doesn’t look much like any book you’ve seen before.
Waterloo Panorama Virtual Tour
WATERLOO, Belgium — This 360° panorama captures the entire painting inside the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo.
The War Remnants Museum: A One-Sided Story You Can’t Quite Dismiss
Vietnam’s War Remnants Museum tells an unmistakably one-sided story, using American hardware, American quotes, and graphic photography to damn the war effort, even as it omits any inconvenient history of its own. It’s propaganda built on real evidence, and here’s how it looked.
The Carpet Salesman’s Dance: Tea, Haggling, and the Grand Bazaar’s Charm
The dance of the Turkish carpet salesman begins gently, with tea and flattery, before the rugs even come out. This piece follows that ritual through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, 4,000 stores strong, and shows what its labyrinth of shopfronts and haggling actually looks like.
Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico is an Art Nouveau gem in the heart of Mexico City’s historic district. It sits right on the Zócalo.
Dhammayazika Pagoda
BAGAN, Myanmar (Burma) – Its gleaming gold stupa certainly stands out against the surrounding countryside. Completed in 1198, it features an unusual pentagonal design.
Apeyadana Temple, Bagan
BAGAN, Myanmar (Burma) – Apeyadana Temple is dedicated to an 11th-century chief queen consort of King Kyansittha of the Pagan Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar).
When DC Grinds to a Halt, the Monuments Turn Magical
Washington DC gets little snow most winters, but occasional big storms like Snowmageddon (2010) and Snowzilla (2016) shut the city down while turning its monuments and the National Mall into a rare winter wonderland. Here’s a firsthand look at what those storms left behind.
Inside Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar: Where Spices Still Rule
At Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar, spices are stacked into mounds of color that make supermarket jars look drab — though profit-margin goods like jewelry are slowly crowding out the food stalls. Here’s a look at the market, its quieter exterior vendors, and the streets around it.
The View from Mexico City’s 44th Floor
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The open-air observation deck on the 44th floor of the Torre Latinoamericana offers spectacular views out over Mexico City.
Australian Parliament House, Canberra
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s new Parliament House in Canberra is a striking piece of architecture, built into a hill and utilizing natural Australian materials.
Inside Lisbon’s Domed Pantheon to Portuguese Greats
Lisbon’s white-domed Santa Engrácia took so long to build (1682 to 1966) that unfinished projects in Portugal are still compared to it. Now it stands as the National Pantheon, honoring figures like Amália Rodrigues and Eusébio under a marble-clad cupola.
Newark at Night from the Air
NEWARK, New Jersey — Newark, New Jersey, isn’t exactly known as a jewel of the American northeast. But from certain vantage points, it can actually be quite pretty. Glittery, even.
Htilominlo Temple, Bagan
BAGAN, Myanmar (Burma) — Htilominlo Temple is a large, two-story, early 13th-century temple in the northern part of the Bagan plain best known for its ornate stucco decoration.
Guarding Portugal’s Empire from a Small Island in the Tagus
Belem Tower looks ornamental, almost delicate, but it was built as a working fort bristling with cannons to guard Lisbon Harbor during Portugal’s age of discovery. Here’s a closer look at the decorative flourishes and the defensive bones beneath them.
Mannekin Pis
BRUSSELS, Belgium — It’s probably the most famous landmark in Brussels, perhaps in all of Belgium. And yes, it really is a statue of a little naked boy peeing.
Lemosho Route Day 5: A Storm, a Glacier, and a Warning of What’s Next
Overnight winds hit an estimated 50 to 60 mph, caving in tents and sending porters scrambling to anchor everything with rocks — even guides with 170 climbs said they’d never seen it last so long. Here’s how day 5 on the Lemosho Route unfolded, in words and photos, as we reached Arrow Glacier Camp beneath the Western Breach.
Bruges by Night
BRUGES, Belgium — The docks and canals of Bruges once bustled at night. Now it’s still. And beautiful.
The Rugged Charm of the Top of the Land of a Million Elephants
LUANG NAMTHA, Laos — The rugged, mountainous terrain of northern Laos is beautiful. While well off the beaten track and not really on the road to anywhere else, Luang Namtha and Oudomxai provinces are well worth seeing.
Nyaung-U Airport
NYAUNG-U, Myanmar (Burma) – If you’re flying to Bagan, this is the airport you’ll fly into. As small as it is, it’s the airport that serves as the gateway to the Bagan region.
Iglesia de San Bernardo: A Church Cut in Half by a Street
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Dedicated to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Templo de San Bernardo dates to the 1680s and was once part of a larger convent complex. Now only the church remains.
Dong Ba Market: A Crowded Slice of Everyday Hue
Hue’s Dong Ba Market isn’t styled for tourists — it’s a crowded, everyday tangle of hardware stalls, shoe sellers, and pho stands, with squid drying in the sun and the muddy Perfume River tributary just beyond. Here’s a look at what fills its stalls and lanes.
Granada’s Parque Central
GRANADA, Nicaragua — Parque Central is a hustling, bustling center of town. As in so many Spanish colonial towns, the park forms the heart of a grid that radiates out through the city’s streets.
Towamba River Valley, a Beautiful Spot in the Australian Outback
TOWAMBA, Australia — The Towamba Valley is nestled between state forests and national parks and yet still only half an hour to the stunning Sapphire Coast, at that. Adding to the charm is that it’s just not that easy to get to. And that’s just the way the locals like it.
