For over a thousand years, the cemetery atop Japan’s Mt. Koya has grown. Wandering the cedar forests at night was one of my favorite experiences in Japan.
“Panamal” House: Surfers, smugglers, and spring-breakers in Bocas del Toro
Some call it the Venice of Central America. Some call it Spring Break. In Bocas del Toro I found natural splendor and $1 tequila, but both have their perils.
Beyond Seville: Aracena, the Interactive Museum of Ham, and the Cave of Wonders
In which I visit the ham capital of Andalusia and the marvelous caverns beneath.
Adventures in techno and hedonism: Steve goes clubbing in Berlin
I don’t like clubs. They’re hot, the music’s loud and boring, and being packed in against a bunch of dancing strangers really drives home how…
Top 20 works of art in the Vatican as described by someone who didn’t pay for the audio tour
Visitors to the Vatican Museums have the option of purchasing a self-guided audio tour, but that’s for suckers who don’t know art history like I…
16 romantic destinations from my solo honeymoon
During my travels I encountered a few newlywed couples on their honeymoons. These couples were invariably fit, supremely happy, and Australian. Sharing the natural and…
Steve Liss and the Cradle of Gold: The Road to Choquequirao
A refreshing breeze gusted up from the edge of the trail, but I hugged the canyon wall rather than risk the kilometer drop to the…
Værøy beyond the Maelstrom
My trip to the Lofoten islands off Norway’s north coast was even less planned than usual. I’d seen an otherworldly photo of sharp-peaked mountains rising…
Amazing Adventures in Europe: The Steve-quel
Six months was a long time to spend in South America, and it felt even longer. But on my return none of the fundamental reasons…
Machu Picchu is Inca for “single ladies”
When amateur archaeologist Hiram Bingham led the 1911 Yale Peruvian expedition down the Urubamba river, never did he expect to find the Inca citadel of…