When I arrived in Pai, all I wanted was Western food. A month of noodles and rice and curry and oil in Myanmar left me craving a giant vegetable baguette and yogurt/muesli and the ubiquitous fruit shake. Good news: there are a billion restaurants in Pai. More good news: there’s delicious (and healthy) Western food [...]
The First Rule of Fight Club
1 April, 2013 By 2 Comments
JUST KIDDING. My project for the 48-hour minibus/bus/two plane marathon journey back to the USA is to sort through hours of GoPro footage, and then I promise I will write in great detail about what I’ve been up to for the past two weeks. In case you’ve been living under a rock, it looks a [...]
Day 46: Fight Night in Bangkok
20 February, 2013 By 1 Comment
After markets, a great way to get to know a community is through sports. Soccer is obviously a good bet anywhere in the world, and I’ve encountered some great local games in my travels. When in Bangkok, spectating a muay thai fight is an absolute must. Lumpini and Ratchadamnoen stadiums are the venues of choice [...]
Day 41: The Elephant Valley Project
18 February, 2013 By 1 Comment
In the first draft of my adventure list, I wrote down “ride an elephant.” But the more research I did on how to make it happen, the more I realized that this is the last thing you should attempt to do when you visit Asia. Trekking and tourist camps are everywhere, even at Angkor Wat, [...]
Day 44: You Win Some, You Lose Some
15 February, 2013 By 3 Comments
Day 42: Channeling Bourdain
13 February, 2013 By 5 Comments
Today was yet another long travel day from Mondulkiri back to Phnom Penh, and other than lots of honking and near-misses with other cars on the road, it was fairly uneventful. Oh wait. Somewhere along the way, I ate a fried tarantula. Other than that, nothing to report.
Day 39: Welcome to the Jungle
12 February, 2013 By Leave a Comment
After my sick day in Phnom Penh, I took a bumpy eight-hour bus ride to Mondulkiri Province in northeast Cambodia. It’s a rural area comprised of mountains, rice fields, and jungle, and it’s cool and quiet and fresh and green. Can you ask for anything more? I arrived in Sen Monoram, the only proper “town” [...]
A Lesson in Cambodian History
11 February, 2013 By 4 Comments
This is an emotionally heavy post. You have been warned. As embarrassing as it is to admit, until a few weeks ago, I knew almost nothing about the history of Southeast Asia. I couldn’t tell you which European country colonized who, what happened during the Vietnam War and when, or what kind of government each [...]
Day 31: Siem Reap Beyond Temples
10 February, 2013 By 1 Comment
The main reason to visit Siem Reap is to see Angkor Wat, and the city’s luxury hotels and the busy bars on Pub Street speak to Cambodia’s interest in continuing to attract tourists to Angkor en masse. But once you’ve had your fill of temples, there are other ways to spend day or two in [...]
Day 37: Sick in Phnom Penh
9 February, 2013 By 2 Comments
I managed to spend nearly six weeks on the road without getting sick. Given the amount of street food I’ve consumed, the number of sleepless/restless nights I’ve had on less-than-comfortable beds, and the long and bumpy bus rides I’ve endured, I’d say this is a pretty solid record. But let’s state the obvious: Being sick [...]
