Shika-shima: Japan’s Most Elegant Rail Experience Readies for 2020
Though it's not exactly a bullet train, the Shika-shima is Japan's most luxurious rail experience, a mix of luxury, design, and service. ...
John McMahon
How Laksa Became Singapore’s Signature Dish
No dish says Lion City like laksa, but from the Chinese diaspora to Katong there's a whole lot more to this Singapore staple than meets the eye – or the taste buds. ...
Searching for the Snakeheads of Sangkhlaburi
On a fruitless quest for the feisty snakeheads of Thailand, John McMahon finds magical bridges, underwater temples, and rural Thai charm. ...
Hero MTB Himalaya: Extreme Mountain Bike Challenge on the Top of the World
It's a seven-day mountain bike race with a vertical gain of 50,000 meters through the Himalayas. It’s the Hero MTB Himalaya mountain bike challenge....
Sir Bani Yas: Staying in Style in the UAE’s Safari Paradise
There are Sudanese cheetahs and Arabian oryx on an island in the Persian Gulf called Sir Bani Yas. To see it, there is no other way than Anantara. ...
Twitchers at the DMZ: Birdwatching near the World’s Most Dangerous Border
The lack of human intervention in the DMZ means that wildlife has had a chance to bounce back. For the birdwatcher, this makes for some decent sightings at the 38th parallel. ...
Theroux in Southeast Asia: Revisiting The Great Railway Bazaar
When Paul Theroux set out from his local stop on the London underground to the farthest reaches of Asia by rail, he would go on to write one of the greatest travelogues of the modern age. But Asia has changed. ...
Ratchaburi: Thailand’s Last Shadow Puppet Show
At a small temple in Ratchaburi outside of Bangkok, the centuries-old shadow puppet shows of Thailand's national epic, the Ramakien, continue for a new generation....
Inside the Blue Mansion of Penang
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion in Penang – recently garnering fame for its role in Crazy Rich Asians – is a blend of cultures, an architectural curiosity, and a luxury hotel in the heart of George Town....
Saving the Great Apes Gunung Leuser
Of the few remaining habitats left of the orangutans, Bukit Lawang inside Gunung Leuser National Park is the best known, a place for seeing and saving the red ape of Sumatra....
Gold Eats: Gilded Delights of Kanazawa
Kanazawa has been ahead of the gold-leaf food craze for about 400 years. Today, travelers can get gilded sushi, ice cream, and korokke in this lovable Japanese destination. ...
Fann Mountains: Hiking Tajikistan’s Glacial Lake Loop
If you dream of hiking the Haft Kul, or Lake Loop, of the Fann Mountains for the crystal blue waters and lonely trails, this piece will get you started. ...
John McMahon
John McMahon is a writer and habitual traveler who has made Kanchanaburi, Thailand his home base for fifteen years. Author of five novels, his fiction, essays, and reportage have been published all over the English speaking world.