Welcome to Double Happiness – Asia Travel Blog and Photo Gallery.

When I arrived in Macau SAR, China, I visited a Shanghai Tang retail store and noticed a prominent design on certain branded items with Chinese characters and asked what it meant. The translation for the characters is “Shaungxi”  meaning Double Happiness, which ultimately became the title of my blog. To me the translation presented a different way of thinking. Happiness just isn’t something that doubles. In the Western world it really isn’t quantifiable. To this end, I found it interesting as a step to understanding how these very different languages represent a different way of thinking or even logic. 

Based in Macau for nearly 10 years, I have been fortunate to travel Asia in a casual, relaxed and semi-local modus-operandi. Macau is a less than 5 hour flight to a dozen different countries and different cultures. With this luxury of not having to rush so much like an international tourist on a once in a lifetime vacation, I was fortunate to spend time absorbing cultures and the way of the locals. The intent of my blog is to share my experiences that go beyond the designated tourist attractions and communicate a deeper cultural experience. In a divided world, travel is much more important than reaching a destination and taking a selfie. Travel should be about learning and understanding diversity in cultures. 

Travel must always be with respect for local culture and at the same time social and environmental well-being.