John

I spent twenty summers exploring Mediterranean islands, chasing rumors of crystal-clear lagoons hidden from tourist maps. Then a Maltese fisherman named Pawlu mentioned Il-Bejta tal-Fenek—a boat-only sanctuary where his grandchildren learn to freedive without dodging ferry traffic. He called it Crystal Lagoon, Comino’s secret sister to the overcrowded Blue Lagoon. When I kayaked there last … Lire plus

The Sahara gets all the glory—camel caravans, luxury camps charging $400 per night, and selfie-stick crowds numbering in the thousands at Morocco’s Erg Chebbi dunes. But 325 meters south in Namibia, the world’s oldest desert has been quietly perfecting the art of dramatic landscapes for 80 million years. I’ve climbed desert dunes across four continents, … Lire plus

I first stumbled onto Lincoln Street Art Park during a layover between Detroit art galleries, expecting another predictable sculpture garden with $14 admission and velvet ropes. Instead, I found 40 recycled sculptures sprawling beneath a forgotten railroad viaduct — completely free, constantly evolving, and so fiercely protected by locals that Instagram influencers still haven’t discovered … Lire plus

I’ll never forget the August morning I pulled off Stillwell Road at 6:47am, expecting another flat Kansas landscape. What unfolded instead was 40 acres of liquid gold cascading across rolling hills — the phenomenon locals quietly call “The Golden Window.” This wasn’t the Kansas I thought I knew. This was something prairie photographers guard like … Lire plus

I discovered Wonder View Trail during a research trip last summer, arriving at what I thought was the wrong time—6:30am felt absurdly early for a casual hike. But watching sunrise paint the Hollywood Sign gold while standing completely alone on Burbank Peak changed how I approach urban hiking forever. The trail locals call “The Golden … Lire plus

I stepped off the cramped ferry at Thanlyin’s crumbling dock, certain I’d made a navigation error. The boat captain gestured toward a weathered longtail bobbing in muddy water, its pilot chain-smoking beneath a faded umbrella. “Yele Paya,” he said, pointing toward an empty horizon. Twenty minutes later, rising from the Yangon River like a stone … Lire plus