by Matthew Allison | Apr 11, 2025 | Asia
Saigon Stopover: A Night in Vietnam’s Wartime Capital Exploring a Legendary Journalist Hotel and the Cu Chi Vietcong Tunnels en Route to Laos As part of a longer 10-day journey to trek through remote hill tribe villages in northern Laos, my friend Sterling and I made...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 1, 2023 | Asia
Exploring the Cold War Legacy: A Journey to the Polygon, Kazakhstan In November 2023, I traveled to Northeast Kazakhstan for a week, drawn by my fascination with the Soviet era. Kazakhstan was once part of the USSR, and few places embody the Cold War’s tensions and...
by Matthew Allison | Jun 4, 2023 | Asia
May 2023: I first fell in love with the Buddhist regions of the Himalayas in 1998, when I visited Ladakh and Zanskar in northern India, spending several months traveling and trekking in the region. Since then, I’ve returned to trek in Bhutan (2005) and in Tibet...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 10, 2023 | Asia
March 2023: As part of a larger “babymoon” trip through the Pacific Islands, my pregnant wife, Paula, and I spent three days in Taiwan. I had only experienced Taiwan during layovers in the past, so this was my first proper visit. A major motivation for the...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 27, 2022 | Asia
Return to Afghanistan: Chasing a Once-Impossible Dream The Minaret of Jam and a New Chapter in a Beloved Land August 2022 — After decades of war and turmoil, Afghanistan had unexpectedly opened its doors. The Taliban insurgents I once evaded were now in power,...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 17, 2019 | Asia, Europe
Crossing Into North Ossetia: From the Mountains to Soccer Mayhem September 2019: After visiting the independent but Russia-aligned South Ossetia, we made our way north, crossing over the stunning, snow-covered Caucasus Mountains into Russia’s North Ossetia. Despite...
