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Running away from Home

The learning curve of the solo tour

CAMBODIA | Sunday, 28 Mar 2010 | Views [483]

The Temples of Angkor---Day 1 What can I say about Angkor Wat that has not already been said? I like riding my rental bike around the monument. That may be a new one. Seriously, the area is wonderfully level. The blacktop is in good shape. I am glad ... Read more >


Feeling cynical in Siem Reap

CAMBODIA | Saturday, 27 Mar 2010 | Views [410]

Bait and Switch, Bait and Switch….I am starting to see it everywhere. When I bought the bus ticket to Siem Reap the clerk at the desk told me that they had a sister hotel in Siem Reap. They offered $6 rooms that were as nice as the ones in Phnom Penh, ... Read more >


Has the monsoon come already?

CAMBODIA | Friday, 26 Mar 2010 | Views [354]

I got a small taste of what Phnom Penh is like in the rainy season. When I left the hotel this morning, there was just a slight drizzle and I was kicking myself for not purchasing an umbrella when I had the chance. I was determined to go see a different ... Read more >


Travel notes from Phnom Penh

CAMBODIA | Thursday, 25 Mar 2010 | Views [636] | Comments [1]

March 23, 2010 The bus ride to Phnom Penh was five hours of Cambodian karaoke and one hour of a Cambodian comedy show. We stopped at a rest area where they sold delicacies such as toasted locusts and fried spiders. I bought a cut-up pineapple for 50 ... Read more >


Greasing palms at the Laos/Cambodia border

CAMBODIA | Monday, 22 Mar 2010 | Views [603]

If it weren’t for the heat, I would close the window of my hotel room. There seems to be some kind of musical performance nearby that sounds like a combination of large drums and improvised xylophone music. I am in Kratie, Cambodia about 200km northeast ... Read more >


My Don Khong bicycle tour

LAOS | Sunday, 21 Mar 2010 | Views [363]

I felt a bit sorry for the old woman with dark sun-beaten skin and even darker teeth, and so I rented my bike from her. She was just set up in the shade on the main drag in town and she was competing with all of the guesthouses for clients. I could ... Read more >


A mishap ruins my day on Don Det

LAOS | Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 | Views [396]

So yesterday I was whining about the fact that now the landscape is so dried out. Today I am singing a different tune. I had my boat ride to Don Det. I enjoyed every minute of it, even when my bum fell asleep. When we docked, I jumped onto a rented ... Read more >


The entrepreneurs of laid-back Laos don't disappoint

LAOS | Friday, 19 Mar 2010 | Views [378]

It wasn’t a long ride from Champasak to Si Phan Don (4000 Islands), but it was difficult to watch the parched landscape go by. There was a group of twenty-somethings jabbering away in Swedish in the back seat so I listened to my ipod (thank you, Mike) ... Read more >


Keep on rollin' with the good karma

LAOS | Thursday, 18 Mar 2010 | Views [493]

I was awake ten minutes before my alarm went off at 5:00am. I didn’t know what time the sun would rise, but I figured it wouldn’t be up before 6:00. Right around the time the sky over the Mekong turned gray I climbed on my rented bicycle and pedaled ... Read more >


Made it to Champasak...where's the wat?

LAOS | Wednesday, 17 Mar 2010 | Views [417]

I am in Champasak staying in a guesthouse that is right on the river. Even after the sunset, the air is hot and motionless. The restaurant where I have my dinner keeps the fans going, but most of the lights are off. When I look at one of the lit florescent ... Read more >


Photos: Laos pics

LAOS | Tuesday, 16 Mar 2010 | Photo Gallery


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Short on cash and even shorter on bed space

LAOS | Tuesday, 16 Mar 2010 | Views [400]

I don’t know if it is a coordinated effort or not, but all of the ATMs in Vientiane seem to go offline at around 4:00pm. This can leave an outsider in a panic over whether or not her debit card is still working. The only good thing that came out of ... Read more >


Good tourist, bad mood

LAOS | Monday, 15 Mar 2010 | Views [463] | Comments [1]

I awoke this morning in a rotten mood. Actually, I awoke wanting to cause someone bodily harm. No one in particular, I just wanted a flesh-colored punching bag. Holy Dinah, I hate hormones. After a full assessment of my disposition, I wisely decided ... Read more >


It's hard to be Huck Finn in a VIP bus

LAOS | Sunday, 14 Mar 2010 | Views [497]

I was hoping that my current trip following the Mekong River from Laos to Vietnam would have a bit of a Huck Finn feeling to it. I would like to be able to ride a raft down to the Mekong Delta, but I don’t think that’s very safe. That’s why missing ... Read more >


Luang Prabang-- Life in the slow lane

LAOS | Saturday, 13 Mar 2010 | Views [511]

I am sitting outside of a guesthouse near the Mekong river listening to the local children play their evening games. They are burning off that last bit of energy before time to go to bed. I hear a lot of laughter and merriment as I swat at the occasional ... Read more >


Long ride on Hell's bus

LAOS | Thursday, 11 Mar 2010 | Views [494]

Today I survived what was probably the worst travel experience I have had since I began my trip over two months ago. I was unable to take the slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang because of the low water level and so I bought a VIP bus ticket for ... Read more >


Slow boat to Luang Prabang? Guess Again..

LAOS | Wednesday, 10 Mar 2010 | Views [464]

I made it back to Thailand from Nepal in really lousy shape. I was hoping to spend several days in Chiang Mai taking care of some personal business over the internet, relaxing, getting messages, and gorging myself on fiery curries and icy frappes. Illness ... Read more >


Vacationing vs volunteering

NEPAL | Tuesday, 2 Mar 2010 | Views [602]

I had to catch the 7:30am bus to Kathmandu so I didn’t have much time to spend in Pokhara. I really would have liked to have gone up to the Peace Pagoda, but I’ll just have to come back and do it. January and February is a better time for seeing the ... Read more >

Tags: homestay, nepal, village, volunteering


Batuli bids farewell to Damdame

NEPAL | Monday, 1 Mar 2010 | Views [890] | Comments [1]

Last day in Damdame…..Only a few children are at the library this morning and I keep my distance because I feel poorly. When you combine the exertions from yesterdays climb, running around with a wet head in the cool air and the fact that the kids have ... Read more >

Tags: homestay, nepal, village, volunteering


Holi cow! Where's the chocolate?

NEPAL | Sunday, 28 Feb 2010 | Views [978]

The first thing I heard Kathryn say when she woke up this morning is that she was going to go to Pokhara to buy some gifts for our host family. I asked if I could go along. As much as I enjoyed the day of leisure yesterday, I knew that I would get restless ... Read more >

Tags: homestay, nepal, village, volunteering


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