A karst region covering over 50 square miles of Hunan province in south-central China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is notable for its thousands of towering quartz-and-sandstone pillars (many over 650 feet tall) and dozens of stalactite-filled caves.
As of Jan. 1, 2012, travelers to Sri Lanka will have to apply and pay for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) in advance of arrival. (Citizens of Singapore and the Maldives are exempt.)
During my first visit to Japan, in 2009, I hit a few of the typical first-time-in-Japan sightseeing highlights: busy cities, fabulous shopping, “tea and temples” and ancient castles. When I was offered an opportunity to return in July ’11, I hoped to focus on some of my personal interests: birding, gardens, history, art and, of course, savoring the local food. The compact Tottori Prefecture seemed like the perfect place to pack all of that into a relatively brief eight-day trip.
I stay part of the year in Bangkok, Thailand, where I have an apartment. In fall 2010, for the first time, I used a luggage-forwarding service called Luggage Free to send over some of my possessions.
