According to MSN, these are among the ten most dangerous cities, and should not be visited alone. 1. Oakland Well, I lived in Oakland twice in my younger days, both in the Lake Merritt area. I never had any trouble, walking, riding my bicycle, or with my car. Parts of Oakland are nice, parts are downright dangerous. But its reputation precedes itself in the eyes of many, including tourists. 2. Lima, Peru Staying on the beach, overlooking the Pacific Ocean is hardly dangerous. We stayed there on our way to Machu, and on our way back from the Amazon. Lima has quite a food scene, and walking around seemed quite safe. But on the taxi ride between the airport and the hotel was another adventure. We passed many barrios and crime ridden areas. 3. Memphis I ... read more

Here is a bike tour (mexicobiketour.com.mx) I signed up for: Bike through the biggest and oldest urban park of Mexico City at a soft rhythm, see the places where history meets with the modern city, museums areas and parks, go trough some of the traditional and commercial neighborhoods with cafes, book stores, and restaurants you can later visit for dinner. Learn about history, landscape and city environment. It is a four hour bike tour, starting at Cicloestacion Lomas. Sundays, the main avenue, Reforma, is closed to automobile traffic. So, peace and tranquility reign from 7am to 2pm every Sunday. I wish more cities did this. Wouldn't Las Vegas Boulevard be great on a Sunday morning in May or October? Or the Mag Mile in Chicago, 5th Avenue in NYC, the Ginza in Tokyo, or Nevsky Prospekt ... read more

The Mexican capital won an impressive number of categories among Latin-American cities: culture, shopping, and cuisine. And while plenty of readers come here, no doubt, to visit the Zócalo, or Plaza de la Constitución (it gets about 85 million visitors per year), a few restaurants are destinations in themselves. One is Pujol, featuring chef Enrique Olvera's forward-looking takes on authentic cuisine, like a suckling-pig taco with chickpea puree, coriander, and red jalapeño. Voters commented on the city's New York City-style fast pace, but they also raved about its parks. One not to miss: the ancient, waterfall-filled Chapultepec Park, which provided a relaxing green space for the ancient Aztecs. Mercado de Medellín In Colonia Roma sits a little gem, el Mercado de Medellín. Much like other markets, all types of fruits, vegetables and m... read more

What would a visit to Burma be without a stop at Inle Lake? Not being temple or stupa guys, we decided to give this venue a shot. This shallow 13.5 mile freshwater lake is on the tentative UNESCO Heritage list. And much like the klongs in Bangkok, there are no sidewalks or roads, only one person wide boats with outboard propellers. Do you see now, why I find this more culturally intriguing that bouncing around Europe? As we pass both one and two story houses built on stilts, we also dodge the fishermen using a one-legged paddling technique unique to rowing a boat. They stand and row so they can see over the reeds and floating plants for navigation. And can you believe they have been using hydroponics for growing tomatoes since the Sixties? Overlay that ... read more

I don't care who named it, or what you want to call it. But Rangoon is one of those city names that stays and stays, at least in my mind. I would compare it's intriguing name with cities like Addis Ababa, Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Wimbledon, and Reims. It certainly sounds more charming than Reno, Denver, London, or Madrid. But this is an old, disheveled work in progress, multi-ethnic, interesting, and even picturesque. The city border to the south and west is the Yangon River, also called the Hlaing River. To the east is Pazundaung Chaung (Canal),which flows into the Yangon River. To the north, the city pens up, spreading along long avenues. The northern end is where most businesses and hotels are located. The two most important townships outside of the ... read more