Feb 15, 2023

Malaysia

Malaysia is often overshadowed by its neighbor Singapore in the international news, but Malaysia has seen a lot of growth and modern construction in the recent decades too. In fact, Kuala Lumpur is home to the former world's tallest buildings, the Petronas Towers, and is in the process of completing the world's second tallest building, the Merdeka 118. Looking at the history of the world's tallest buildings over time, the Petronas Towers brought the title to Asia for the first time in modern times, where it has remained ever since (and looks unlikely to leave). On the other hand, the Chinese condo construction boom has had some influence in Malaysia, where there is an oversupply of apartments, often in modern buildings with amenities that include an in-building pool and gym.

Nov 26, 2022

Thailand

Thailand has many cities that are popular vacation spots, but the nomads often head north to the city of Chiang Mai. Located in the more mountainous part of Thailand, the area offers different scenes than typical Thai islands or beach destinations.

Oct 27, 2022

Lithuania

Lithuania is the last of the three Baltic tigers that I visited. Vilnius was a larger city than Tallinn but smaller than Riga. Because of the proximity to the border, many license plates from Belarus were seen in the city.

Oct 11, 2022

Latvia

While traveling, I have observed that sometimes countries are stereotyped to what they used to be 20-40 years ago. Along these lines, Latvia's stereotype vs. Latvia in 2022 makes it a highly underrated country. Upon getting on the public bus with my coins, the driver informed me "no cash, card only". This is not the former Soviet nation I had imagined! From the shiny glass library to the amazing art nouveau architecture, Riga is a very pleasant city that I can recommend anyone to visit.