Another day in Cambodia, back at Angkor Thom, wandering around the ruins, dodging the annoying tour groups, the weather hot as blistering asphalt, wishing for rain. A quick visit to the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King Terrace — yes, it’s all a blur — and then a short walk to the majestic confines of [...]
Around the temples of Angkor nowadays, you can’t miss them. Everywhere you turn there are signs telling you not to do something, or to be careful. Watch Your Step … Don’t Touch … Don’t Litter. No Writing. Don’t Breathe Heavily. Ah, I miss the glory days of the old “hands on” Angkor, before the hordes of visor-wearing [...]
It’s Songkran weekend here in Thailand, the annual water festival that’s held to celebrate the Thai New Year. Similar watery celebrations are also going on this week in the neighboring countries of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. The basic goal of them all: the wetter the better! I attended my very first Songkran in Thailand [...]
Ta Prohm is best known as Angkor’s “jungle temple,” categorized as such due to all the trees — particularly the massive roots — that have become intertwined with the ancient architecture over the course of the past several centuries. To say that it’s an awesome sight would be an understatement. I’ve visited Ta Prohm at [...]
There has been a lot of negative press in recent months about the long delays getting through immigration at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. In some cases, passengers arriving at the airport have had to wait nearly two hours to get processed by the understaffed and overworked immigration officers. I’ve never had to endure nearly that [...]
Just a quick post today; I’m on the road in Cambodia, visiting friends in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. The plan was also to go to Battambang for a day or two, but the Try brothers changed their minds and decided to stay longer in Siem Reap (where they used to live, and where I [...]
If you’ve never been to Angkor in Cambodia, you are missing out on one of the most amazing travel experiences there is in Southeast Asia. No matter how you feel about traipsing around ancient ruins in the hot sun, it’s almost impossible not to be awestruck by the historic temples scattered throughout the Angkor archeological [...]
I just finished reading Beyond the Last Village by Alan Rabinowitz, one of the more moving and inspirational books I’ve read in a very long time. Although it describes the author’s journey into the jungles of Northern Myanmar, and details his efforts to save endangered wildlife in that area, Beyond the Last Village is much [...]
One of the great joys in visiting Kuala Lumpur for me is the food. I’m an unabashed foodie, so I delight in sampling the myriad choices of sumptuous cuisine available throughout the greater KL area. Of course there any many places for authentic Malay food, but there is also an abundance of wonderful Indian, Chinese, [...]
