Laos, you were lovely! After a grueling TV shoot in Japan and the madness of Bangkok, I was in dire need of R&R. Luang Prabang, Laos was just the ticket to a peaceful getaway. It was a joy to get to know this Buddhist country with my friends and Tours By Locals. Read on for

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Ouais, ouais... I had a delicious time in Quebec City! Ready for a guide to the best restaurants and art in the French-Canadian capital? I haven't been to Canada's Francophone province since a brief stop here as a teenager. Growing up, I went to a school with a bilingual program -- so this trip gave

Leading, award-winning Asian-Canadian travel / food / culture journalist La Carmina runs the leading Japan alt culture/traveling blog…

Ah, there's no skyline like Singapore. I'm still catching up on posts from my recent trip to Asia (I was in Tokyo to filming with Travel Channel TV, and also Bali and Singapore). But things are about to heat up some more... as I'm now heading to three new countries on two continents. Morocco, Portugal and Spain -- here

And... this is how you Taj Mahal in style! Yukiro and I always travel fabulously, but I think we took it to the next level at the iconic mausoleum in Agra, India. However, don't expect to swing by at any time for photos like these. Visiting the Taj Mahal takes preparation, and a reputable local expert can

The aliens have landed! Yukiro and I vogue-ed in front of Chichen Itza, the mysterious Mayan pyramid. That day, we had the best possible tour of Tulum's ruins, thanks to Loco Gringo. This local-run concierge company helps travellers with personalized tours, recommendations, bookings, or anything at all to make their trip outstanding. In Part 1, we'll show you how our Loco Gringo guides tailored

Can't believe it is already time to say farewell to 2019! I didn't get to try space travel or meet aliens this year... but still, a lot of good things have come about (My hair grew like a weed too...) Let's kiss the year goodbye, with a look back at some of this year's best

Merry Christmas, pirates! It's hard to believe we've reached the end of 2012. Let's usher in 2013 with my annual "year in review," beginning with reminisces and outtake photos from the first six months. I spent January in Italy with Seby. We stayed with his family in northern Italy, and then ventured to Florence for

Today's a happy day... because our Philippines travel episode has been released! Want to see me in tropical paradise, doing yoga with Filipino beauty queens? Then watch the 4-minute travel video above below and on Business Insider. A huge round of applause to sáv Hospitality for teaming up with us, and making this travel film possible. The photos speak

Sending out a siren call to you... from the enticing Grotto Spa on Vancouver Island! This year has been a crazy one so far, with an enormous trip to Beirut, Paris and Egypt, and a freelance contract with Google's Touring Bird. At this point, I'm ready to kick back and stick to shorter trips. A

When you're in London with your Gothic comrades... there's no better place to hang out than in an English graveyard! Zoetica, Trevor and I spent a spooky afternoon exploring Highgate Cemetery in North London, the final resting spot of George Michael, Sex Pistols punk manager Malcolm McLaren, and other famous Brits. Beware: according to local lore,

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to visit Prague. And now... it's happened. Apartment rental company Go With Oh sent me to the Czech Republic with Rock n Roll Bride -- aka pink-haired wedding blogger Kat Williams! We explored the spooky side of the city together, wearing t-shirts with the winning design

As a travel writer, I do my best to seek out obscure and offbeat places. For this reason, I went out of my way to visit Taichung's Rainbow Village with my friend Boris Tsai. The photos say it all: this attraction is a total LSD trip! The "Rainbow Family Village" consists of several old buildings

Fire and brimstone... Talk about a warm welcome back to San Francisco! I recently took a weekend trip to see some of my favorite ghouls. Since I'm currently all about retrowave music, this was also the perfect excuse to check out SF's synthwave party scene. (I put together a "Kung Fury" outfit with this Dragon midi

Leading, award-winning Asian-Canadian travel / food / culture journalist La Carmina runs the leading Japan alt culture/traveling blog…

Paris, it's been a while! I've visited the "city of lights" twice before, but this was before starting this blog. At long last, I got the chance to come back and share some alternative travel stories with you. Of course, we'll creep into the Catacombs, and look for vampires in Pere Lachaise cemetery. However, we'll

When I was growing up, I didn't know anyone who dreamed of going to Iceland. Now, it seems all my friends want to visit Reykjavik. Somehow, this far-away place has become the hipster travel destination. I didn't know much about Reykjavik before I came, but heard whisperings of an indie music scene, wild nightlife and creative culture. Sounds like my type of place --

Paris, it's been a while! I've visited the "city of lights" twice before, but this was before starting this blog. At long last, I got the chance to come back and share some alternative travel stories with you. Of course, we'll creep into the Catacombs, and look for vampires in Pere Lachaise cemetery. However, we'll

Star Beast achievement unlocked. I made it to the HR Giger Museum and Bar in Switzerland! While in Europe last fall, I made a weekend detour to Gruyères to see the museum dedicated to one of my favorite artists: H.R. Giger. I'm sure you'll recognize his surrealist concept art for Alien, Species, Poltergeist 2, the never-made Dune,

Summer is back, and I'm ready to play! I have some big new destinations coming up -- all will be announced soon. If you've been following my Instagram Stories or Snapchat (@lacarmina), you'll have seen me at the The Birthday Massacre live in Vancouver! Read on for a review of the Gothic concert. I also included some

Dark angel over Byzantium! If a single image could sum up my feeling about Istanbul, it would be this one. It was my first time here, and I wanted an in-depth look at the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and other ancient wonders. I had heard rave reviews of Walks of Turkey, a local company, so I joined them for a tour of Istanbul's historical district. Keep

I'm still in shock about the response to my Belgrade post -- over 5000 shares! A special thank you to the Serbians who left comments, telling me I captured "the heart and soul" of their beautiful city. My current focus -- telling personal stories of alternative culture around the world -- was majorly influenced by

Call me Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons! I'm excited to share my alternative guide to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. With Medieval red rooftops and dramatic canals, it could pass for one of the great cities in Game of Thrones. And I hope you enjoy our latest Slovenia travel video! Follow me through this European city, as I discover a surprising

Straddling a rainbow unicorn -- that's how we ride-or-die! I think it's fair to say... Yukiro and I had a magical time at our Malaysia beach resort, Casa del Mar Langkawi. If you didn't catch our first post, come take a look: we did a fun review of Casa del Mar. In Part 2, we'll venture beyond the

Cambodia has fascinated me for ages. I dreamed of exploring the mysterious temple of Angkor Wat, and experiencing the warm culture I'd heard so much about. Finally, I got to travel here thanks to the new HK Express flight route! This airline has low-cost fares from Hong Kong directly to Siem Reap, where the temples are found. At Le Méridien Angkor

Kiss Me... if you want to get Purged! Can you tell I'm already in a Halloween mood? I'm relieved that scary season is back -- I always feel most "me" at this dark time of year. To celebrate, I'm sharing my Gothic travel guide to Paris, France -- including a visit to the Catacombs and

Award-winning Gothic Japan style and travel blogger. La Carmina is a TV host, journalist, author, content creator influencer based in Vancouver BC Canada

I've been to temples all over Southeast Asia, but none has been as extraordinary as Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar. In this photo diary, Yukiro and I will show you why! Before we begin our pilgrimage, I'm humbled and thrilled to announce that I won the Best Blog of the Year award! A zillion thank yous to everyone

I heart Egypt! No Photoshop here... I still can't believe that I got to see ancient marvels like these all throughout the country. My 12-day journey with Travel Talk Tours included two ancient temples that were -- believe it or not -- relocated during the Aswan Dam construction. Let's wander inside the magnificent Abu Simbel

I'm glad you enjoyed my first post about Zagreb, Croatia. Ready for more? On Day 2, I dove into the indie side of the city. Andrea's friend, Dražen Goreta, showed me his many projects -- all of which have to do with indie music, art and culture. PS: I'm hiding something under my top... read

The cat's out of the bag... or box. The Pirates were in Tokyo last December to work on a travel-comedy TV show for Pro Sieben Europe, starring comedian Olli Schulz. As the show's production coordinators, we put together a Jpop potpourri. Our shoot locations included a cat cafe, cuddle cafe, host club... and we even

I came to Israel to report on Tel Aviv's modern fashion designers and nightlife. However, I was as excited to see Jerusalem, the centuries-old city of miracles and blood. I didn't grow up in any religion, but have always been interested in ancient cultures. Spending a day in Jerusalem turned out to be one of

After the holidays and a much-needed catch up break, I’m thrilled to be on the road again! I'm heading back to Europe this month, so I thought I'd do a final flash-back to my travels in Estonia. Last summer, I explored the hipster side of Tallinn -- art factories, local fashion and design collectives. (Remember when I visited the Estonian

I'm glad you enjoyed my first post about Zagreb, Croatia. Ready for more? On Day 2, I dove into the indie side of the city. Andrea's friend, Dražen Goreta, showed me his many projects -- all of which have to do with indie music, art and culture. PS: I'm hiding something under my top... read

Coming at you from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! This artistic, laid-back city is well worth a visit -- especially as it's only a two hour ride from New York. Many tourists come for historic attractions such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall... but this isn't your average travel blog. Let's take a walk on the weird,

Let's do the time warp again... from Havana, Cuba! As far back as I can remember, I've been curious about this Caribbean country where time seems to stand still. While on a job in the Dominican Republic, I took the opportunity to hop over to "La Habana" for a few days. How to enter Cuba:

The places I go inspire the clothes I wear. While in Maui, my personal style took on a Hawaiian flavor. Like MacGyver, I made hair pieces out of fresh local flowers! I'm wearing a Malibu silk dress gifted by Nanette Lepore (there's also a strapless version.) The design is too cute, with floral print and

Thank you for your fantastic response to the Hong Kong episode of Better Late Than Never, the new NBC show travel TV show! It was a dream come true to hang with The Fonz, Henry Winkler (of Happy Days fame)... ... and William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek. That is indeed me, dancing with

Can you believe -- I haven't traveled anywhere in Canada (except Vancouver) for almost ten years? Bad, bad. There's so much to coolhunt in my home country, especially in dark and artsy Montreal. I made up for this void with a press trip to cover Kinetik Festival and the Goth-alt-art scene in Montreal. For those

I heart Egypt! No Photoshop here... I still can't believe that I got to see ancient marvels like these all throughout the country. My 12-day journey with Travel Talk Tours included two ancient temples that were -- believe it or not -- relocated during the Aswan Dam construction. Let's wander inside the magnificent Abu Simbel

Skreeeonk! Watch out, Tokyo. It looks like Godzilla is taking over the city once again. Did you know you can stay at a Godzilla monster themed hotel: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku? Only in Japan, of course! Let's kick off 2017 with a roar. I'll take you inside Gracery Shinjuku, a wonderfully idiosyncratic hotel in the best possible location. (Godzilla's claw

London calling! If you're planning to travel to the English capital, this shopping guide is for you. Read on for a comprehensive Goth / punk/ hipster tour of London's most alternative districts, Shoreditch and Camden! I was overjoyed to reunite with my long-time friend Kat Williams of Rock n Roll Bride (we went to Prague together years ago).