All the trappings of city life are within arm?s reach in Busan: both high- and low-end shopping at Nampodong (Busan lays claim to the world?s largest department store, Shinsegae Centum City), K-pop concerts at Haeundae Beach, and Seomyeon Med- ical Street, a district comprising 160 cosmetic and medical clinics, where one can pop in for Botox and … Continue »

In her early twenties, Katherine Connor had a successful career as the merchandising manager for a Gap store in a fashionable part of London. She spent her income on clothing and accessories, bought her own house, got engaged, and enjoyed time with her career-girl friends. But something didn?t feel right. So in 2002, she quit her job, sold her … Continue »

View PDF The Sonoma Valley embodies the idealized image of California life: the people are mellow, the sun is shining and the wine is flowing. Unlike the caffeine-driven city life of San Francisco and Los Angeles, in wine country, they take it slow ? which is why cycling is such a natural here. Plus, the region?s wide variety of microclimates … Continue »

I?m sitting in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, trying to meditate. Remembering the monk?s words, I visualize a clear crystal ball in the center of my body, and try to hold on to that picture of clarity as I observe my breath moving in and out, in and out. The temple glitters with gilt and mirrors and a large gleaming Buddha at one end, … Continue »

In a picture-perfect illustration of nature?s elegant sense of balance, the icy, snowcapped peaks of the Swiss Alps were thoughtfully placed atop a valley filled with natural thermal springs.?This perfect apr?s-ski indulgence was, of course, in place long before skiing was even invented ? in fact, mentions of the benefits of a nice hot soak in the … Continue »