Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Size, color, head, beak, tail, wings: How would you identify this bird? It's an inhabitant of the ruins at Tulum and a close friend of the spirit of place: genius Yucantanus. Genius is a Latin word meaning "attendant spirit." Everybody has one, and so does every place. [2015]

London, England, UK

If you are traveling and looking to immerse yourself in new cultures, try going to church. It's a way of getting to know the locals. But, if you happen find yourself at All Souls Church on a Sunday morning, the locals are from all over the world. It's just another reminder that London is one of only a few truly global cities. [2011]

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In the foreground: King Father Norodom Sihanouk's Memorial, completed 2013. In the background: the Independence Monument, completed in 1958. Farther away: the skyline of the new Phnom Penh, still under construction. [2016]

Bang Plee, Thailand

Stacked high, as they are around most ports, these shipping containers facilitate intermodal transport. They move easily from ship to truck without "breaking bulk." The shipping container revolutionized the world of international commerce just as the goat revolutionized human adaptability to rugged environments ten thousand years ago. [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

It doesn't matter that garlic was introduced from China, it is now a tried and true part of Indonesian cuisine. Just imagine what you could do with garlic in a country that includes the fabled Spice Islands. In reality, though, she is probably just getting ready to make some fried rice, Indonesian style, or maybe some clear vegetable soup. [2016]

Singapore, Republic of Singapore

The roasted pig isn't for the family. It's for the ancestors. Only the wealthiest can afford such lavish offerings on Ghost Day, and nothing impresses the departed souls (or the neighbors) more than a suckling pig feasting on joss paper (on the table and in the bags) as a stand-in for corn meal. [2016]

Singapore, Republic of Singapore

Joss paper (traditionally made from bamboo or rice) is everywhere on Ghost Day, especially in Singapore's Chinatown neighborhood. It is burned as an offering to the dead. It looks like she is burning bundles of Hell Bank Notes so that her departed ancestors have something to spend in the afterlife. [2016]