Damn, I wish I had thought of this first! You must watch this extraordinary journey around the world (11 countries, a terabyte of video footage) spliced into 60 one-second clips and reassembled as a truly inspirational short film that is certain to stir your wanderlust. 

 

Eastern & Orient Express (Brad A. Johnson)

The best way to experience the true soul of a place is to arrive by train. I’m reminded of this after spending several days aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express and disembarking my posh Pullman car at the dirty, chaotic platform of downtown Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station at the height of rush hour. My senses are instantly thrust into overload. Train whistles are blowing at nearly all the 20 or so platforms. People are shouting, laughing, scrambling for luggage, rushing to climb aboard one train or another. Cars waiting in the street are honking incessantly. A chicken runs underfoot, feathers flying. A dozen young monks in bright orange robes shuffle through the station in a parallel but silent world. “Where is my valet,” I’m wondering?

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1. Pop-up restaurants are so last year. Up now: pop-up hotels! (Terminal U)
2. What really happened on Air France flight 447. (Popular Mechanics)
3. Changing trains at 200 mph without even slowing down? (Been Seen)
4. Hold on! This new plane will fly 4x faster than the Concorde! (Terminal U)

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Hanoi, Vietnam (Brad A. Johnson)

This photo of mine was originally published a couple months ago in the debut issue of Montage magazine, for which I was selected to write the back page article called Wanderlust. I shot this in an alley behind the Hilton after spending half the day being wheeled around the city in a rickshaw. Here's more or less what I wrote about this photo and why I travel: 

My rickshaw driver is peddling fast. The wind feels cool upon my face in the sweltering heat of Hanoi. In the breeze, I smell what can only be fatty pork sausages smoldering atop a charcoal fire. “Slow down a second,” I say, perking up from a half-slumber.

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Coral Grill at Viceroy Riviera Maya (Brad A. Johnson)

Truly great Mexican food is oddly difficult to find in Playa del Carmen, the hub of Mexico’s beautiful Riviera Maya. You can find a great (or at least very good) Italian restaurant on nearly every corner and inside most hotels (a story on that coming soon). But Mexican? The good stuff’s here, but the best places aren’t so obvious. These are the Top 10.

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Afternoon tea at Hong Kong's Landmark Mandarin Oriental (Brad A. Johnson)

There are two ways to take afternoon tea in Hong Kong—both revered, both steeped in tradition, but with a different culture and practice. And while one is flourishing, the other is fading. 

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