February 20th, Bangkok, Thailand – Hong Kong, as signs everywhere remind us, is Asia’s ‘world city’. Hong Kong Island feels like Manhattan built on stilts; huge buildings surround you and they are built up the side of a hill giving … Read More
February 13th, Hanoi, Vietnam – For the Vietnamese, Tet is a very expensive time of year; they have to purchase decorations which include flowers, apricot trees, peach blossoms and kumquat trees that cost quite a bit, they have to prepare … Read More
February 6th, Hoi An, Vietnam – We have been fairly lucky with out itinerary in that we have not had many long distances to travel; particularly we have had only one overnight journey since flying from Los Angeles to Tahiti. … Read More
January 31st, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – When traveling independently, inevitably you have difficult and tiring days; the kind of day where some unexpected barrier pops up every step of the way, frustrating your plans and your psyche. Our … Read More
January 25th, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – The border crossing into Cambodia at Poipet is one of the more infamous in Southeast Asia. It is well known both for the many scams perpetrated against foreigners crossing here and the legions of … Read More
January 20th, Ban Kon Khuang, Thailand – Bangkok is a great city; the people are friendly, the girls always smiling, the atmosphere welcoming, the temples magnificent and the facilities excellent. While I did not find the backpacker ghetto on Khao … Read More
January 14th, Penang, Malaysia – Following up on my previous update, one of the other biases often demonstrated by travelers is assuming that experiences with poorer people are more authentic than with the upper classes. This leads people to dismiss … Read More
January 9th, Melaka, Malaysia – A few days of scuba diving was a nice, relaxing diversion. The diving outfit picked us up each morning from our hotel to take us to their base at a nice resort just outside Kota … Read More
January 2nd, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – If the mountain was a physical outdoor adventure and the river a cultural one than Danum Valley was our scientific natural experience. The Danum Valley Research Center is part of a private conservation area … Read More
December 27th, Sukau, Malaysia – After climbing the mountain we needed some less physically intensive activity; luckily we were heading to the Kinabatagan river where we could spot wildlife (and possibly orangutan) from the seated comfort of boats. The river … Read More