Vang Vieng on Repeat
What can I say? I’m an adventure junkie. It was back to days of cycling, caving and rock climbing. I even got some pointers in lead climbing. That means I’m on the rock and the rope that’s holding me is actually clipped in below me for most of the climb. If I were to fall, [...]
Moto Pro
Ever since I arrived in Bangkok I’ve been wanting to try piloting a motobike/motorcycle. SE Asia is perfect for a first crack at it. Cheap and no need for a special license (or any license for that matter). Finally, today was the day. Joee offered to coach me through my first moto-driving session. Turns out, [...]
Can’t Get Enough of the Tubes n’ Swings
Again, tubing in Vang Vieng’s claim to fame… and there’s a reason for it. It’s a blast and it never gets old. Joee was new to Vang Vieng so I thought there was nothing better than to christen her with the true Vang Vieng experience on her first full day. Another day of tubing, flying [...]
Local Lao Fishing
First evening back in Vang Vieng was back to bliss. I caught up with Joee and she had managed to snag some tents on the little island in the river in Vang Vieng. Sweet! Nothing sounded better than camping in this beautiful, laid-back city. Unfortunately, I had already reserved a guesthouse so I would have [...]
Paradise on Earth
Vang Vieng is everything I’ve ever dreamed of… There’s no question it’s a small town that’s thriving from the influx of backpackers that migrate here and seem to find it hard to leave and that means it’s not such a local experience. But, it’s paradise nonetheless and there are plenty of locals that have adapted [...]
Aussie Assurances
I definitely made the right move in buying that ticket to the Land of Oz. I just met a Canadian girl who has been traveling for nearly 3 years straight now. Wow! She lived and worked in Australia for a year and also lived in worked in New Zealand. Her stories and tales of adventure [...]
Hauling Out
As I headed north, I seemed to catch up to the rainy, gray weather that I thought had disappeared. My symptoms also seemed to re-emerge in the 12-hour bus journey. When I finally reached Hanoi, I discovered it was also frightfully colder. A tropical storm from the south carried a nippy chill with it as [...]
Laid-back Laos
Talk about all your problems melting away. There is no room for stress, or bad moods in Laos. The country is laid-back. The people are genuinely friendly and they don’t hound you for a thing. Laos is just… chill. Vientiane is the capital city and rush hour seems to amount to no more than 15 [...]
Disney World for Real
Dong Hoi is not on the backpacker/tourist trail. The Lonely Planet guidebook said as much and that’s what attracted me to the place. That and the fact that the city was just an hour motorbike away from what the guidebook calls Vietnam’s most spectacular cave system. I hopped on a sleeper bus and it all [...]
Drugged in Hoi An
In Hoi An, Pieter had to immediately head back south. He had been traveling south and had already been to Hoi An, but didn’t want to pass up the 5-day motobike trek and went with us back north for the trip (he did it the boring way by bus along the coast on the way [...]
Mountain Haven
We arrived in Dalat in the evening. The air was crisp, cool and fresh. A beautiful lake shimmered in the dimming light as the day turned to dusk. The Guesthouse Markus and I found was not only reasonably priced, but luxurious for a guesthouse. What a nice change! Dinner was delicious and cheap… Lonely Planet [...]
A Hop, Skip, and a Jump to the Western Sahara
…just kidding. But, with some of these pictures I might just be able to fool you. I’ve never seen sand dunes before! But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself… again. Massimo and I bussed it to Mui Ne, a beach resort along the southern coast of Vietnam. Along the way, Massimo started chatting with a [...]
Breezing Through Saigon
So, back in Rach Gia, we hiked back to the guesthouse where I stayed before. The woman there had treated me well, so I was more than happy to give her more business and book our bus tickets to Saigon through her. She gave us a fair price and within a half hour we were [...]
Sweet and Sour Phu Quoc
In Rach Gia (not to be confused with the pic of Phu Quoc to the left)I was introduced to my first taste of delicious Pho’. Pho’ is the popular soup in Vietnam that is little more than some rice noodles, bits of beef and greens, water and oil… but, they must spice it right with [...]
Phu Quoc Island…
…is a sort of paradise really. Lush, postcard perfect beaches lined with palms. Great seafood and ridiculously cheap prices. Awesome snorkeling!! I will elaborate, but just wanted to say the exotic island was great (but almost trapped us). I’m learning that Asian’s are out to scam you big time everywhere in SE Asia. But, now [...]
On the Road to ‘Nam… Alone
I headed back to Sihanoukville because my previous one-week jaunt there made it a familiar place with familiar faces. It’s more lively with more backpackers so I also thought I might have a better chance of finding some people to travel with there. Lo and behold, I found an Italian. Oh great. Italians are trouble. [...]
A Skip and a Hop to Kampot
After a week of days melting away on the beach in Sihanoukville the Aussies and I decided it was time to stretch our feet again and get out and do something. So, we scheduled a little excursion to the quaint and charming rivertown of Kampot. We left early in the am so we could arrive [...]
Beach Bummin
The days just seem to melt away in Sihanoukville. I can’t say I did too much while there. I mostly just chilled on the beach, read books, took a several dips in the ocean for long swims, catch up on work, struggle to find a quiet place to record some work, gobble pancakes with banana [...]
Lakeside in Phnom Penh
There’s more to do in Siem Reap. But, we were on a mission to get to the beach sooner than later, so on Christmas day we made an early go of it and took off for Phnom Penh. You can go by bus for about $8 or by boat for $25. Rumors of floating forests [...]
Bangkok to Angkor Wat
So suddenly on my own… but not really! The Kiwi, Carl, and the French guy, Franc, were off to New Zealand and were leaving the English guy, Russell, behind. So, Russell and I decided we would travel together for a while. We got back from the trek and Chiang Mai with all options before us. [...]
Prickly Elephant Hair… and Confronting That Big Prickly Elephant in the Room… or in the Stilted Hut Rather
Trekking started off with a bang. Ben and I piled into the back of this tiny, covered pick-up… squeezing in with 8 or 10 other trekkers (can’t remember how many of us squeezed in there really)… and we were off. While the pick-up bumbled out beyond the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Ben and I enjoyed [...]
Chugging Up to Chiang Mai
After a few days of chilling and prep and a few stories from travelers, Ben and I decided that the trekking we heard about in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand sounded fun. Elephants, mountain villages and bamboo rafting? Awesome! So, we took off for Chiang Mai in an overnight train. On the train we met [...]
Bewildered in Bangkok
I was going. Nothing was stopping me. But when I earnestly planted myself on that plane… that is, after I had to drop another $450 for a return flight home because they wouldn’t let me board the plane to Thailand without proof of a way of exiting the country… I couldn’t help but think, ‘What [...]
Cambodia
So… need to write more about the amazing jungle greens and deep blue skies and amazing waterfalls and elephant rides and bamboo rafting and white water rafting… all a part of the trek I did just outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Need to post pics too… But, first I’ll catch up on where I am [...]
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