How to See the Best of Southeast Asia in 2 to 3 weeks
We’re marking the end of our four months in Southeast Asia, and we realize our incredible good fortune to have so much …
2013
Have We Found Heaven on Earth?
We spent an incredible week at the Thai beaches of Kamala Beach, on the island of Phuket, and Khao Lak. We had …
Asia Lite: A Whirlwind Weekend in Singapore
Here’s a riddle for you: what place is both Asia and not Asia, tiny in geography and mighty in wealth, a steamy …
Travel Costs: Malaysia Budget Update
We’re continuing to post our spending numbers as a resource for other travelers. Here is a breakdown of what we spent for two people …
The Best Food We Ate in Malaysia
What is that? I don’t know, but it looks good. Sure does. . . . Wanna get some? We already ate lunch. …
Penang Art and Architecture in Photos
As a city hosting such a hodgepodge of people with different ethnicities, religions, and histories, it is no surprise that Georgetown, Penang …
“I Love Penang, and Penang Loves Me”
Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, once wrote that, “all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.” Georgetown, a city …
Breakfast in Malaysia: Way More Than Eggs and Toast
First, the bad news: our lodging dollar gets us a lot less in Malaysia than it did in Vietnam, and our hotel …
Malaysia: Back to the Future
This is a first for us: we have arrived in a place knowing basically nothing about it. We had a general idea …
Travel Costs: Vietnam Budget Update
We’re continuing to post our spending numbers as a resource for other travelers. Here is a breakdown of what we spent for two …
Vietnam: It’s an acquired taste
When we were first mapping out our RTW itinerary, there was no question that Vietnam would be on it. We made regular …
Hanoi Dos and Don’ts
We spent a week in Hanoi, resting up before we tackled Malaysia. We enjoyed Vietnam’s hectic capital a great deal, and wanted …
The Best Food We Ate in Vietnam, Part 2
One blog post simply wasn’t enough to cover our favorite eats over a month in Vietnam. Continuing from part one, here are …
The Best Food We Ate in Vietnam, Part 1
Skyler and I love exploring new places through their food. It’s a great way to get off the beaten path, learn about …
Getting Buzzed in Vietnam: A Coffee Lover’s Guide
Coffee culture is huge here in Vietnam. In the mornings, old men gather to chat over coffee and cigarettes. In the afternoons, …
Photos from Halong Bay
We spent two days and one night cruising around Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site about 4 hours from Hanoi on …
Cooking With Our Vietnamese Girl Crush
We’ve been eating every meal out for the last two months. So when we were deciding on a cooking class to take …
Hoi An: You Buy Something!
Charming hosts and obnoxious salespeople. Bustling shops and deserted country lanes. Hoi An, like Vietnam, is full of contradictions. But it sure …
Is this Vietnam? Strawberry Fields and Communist (Beach) Parties
Jordan was beside himself, in a lather over the broccoli. We were walking through the market in Dalat, spying fruits and veggies …
Jordan and Skyler’s Top 5 Saigon Experiences
Saigon is not a city with world class museums, historical ruins, or other “must-dos.” Rather, it’s a city you visit to experience …
Southern Hospitality: Mr Hung’s Homestay in the Heart of the Mekong Delta
Jordan, myself, and 30 other sweaty, sorry souls were crammed into an old ice cream truck, hurtling down the highway. At …
Travel Costs: Cambodia Budget Update
We’re continuing to post our spending numbers as a resource for other travelers. Here is a breakdown of what we spent for two people …
Cambodia: Past, Present, and Future
“When I first moved to Siem Reap, there were only four cars here. One for the Sofitel, one for the Grand Hotel, …
The Best Food We Ate in Cambodia
We didn’t quite know what to expect about Cambodian (Khmer) cuisine. Unlike Thai cuisine, you don’t see Khmer restaurants elsewhere in the …
Cambodia, Well-Seasoned: Kampot and Kep
Carefully picking through the whole fish we’d managed to catch for dinner on Koh Rong, I explained to my smart husband …
Rustic Island Paradise: Five Days in Koh Rong
“This is the sort of place James Bond goes to rest and recuperate before the finale,” Jordan noted as we ate breakfast by …
Our Most Unusual Valentine’s Day Ever
Wars of attrition, piles of old rocks, and Cambodian orphanages aren’t typical Valentine’s Day venues. But that’s exactly how we spent our …
Angkor: Simply Amazing
Angkor is a show-off when it comes to superlatives. The largest pre-industrial city in the world — approaching the size of modern-day …
Dragons and princesses! A look at Chinese New Year in Bangkok
February 10, 2013 marked the Chinese Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Snake. We were in Bangkok at the …
Travel Costs: Laos Budget Update
Many websites that inspired our own trip included budget information and we found it immensely helpful. So for those planning their own trip to …
Travel Costs: Thailand Budget Update
It’s hard to believe that the first month of our trip has come and gone! Although we plan to head back …
Alluring Laos: Luang Prabang and Vientiane
Laos is a compelling place — a country with gorgeous scenery, gentle people, exotic allure, rampant poverty, and a mysterious history. We …
The Two Faces of Vang Vieng, Laos
There are two sides to this stunning beauty of a town. Is Vang Vieng the hedonistic, boozing party girl or the crunchy-granola …
The Rhythm of the River – Two Days on the Mekong
Traveling from Northern Thailand to Laos, we were faced with a handful of options. A flight — too expensive and we’re not …
The Best Food We Ate in Thailand
Traveling around Thailand is easy. Roads are well-marked and well-maintained, transport is reliable and easy to navigate, comfortable accommodation is cheap and …
Taking It Slow In Laos
We’re enjoying many things about Laos so far — but one thing that’s driving us nuts is the inability to find …
Chiang Dao: Caves, Homey Hotels, and Outhouses
We knew we’d found something special the minute we set foot at Chiang Dao Nest, our hotel in a rural hamlet about …
Thai Farm Cooking School, Chiang Mai
If you know us, you know that Jordan loves to cook. You may also know that Skyler’s specialties run more to …
Chiang Mai: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Chiang Mai may be a learned town, full of universities and temples. But it seems to be equally a tourists’ town. …
Riverside Guesthouse, Lampang
Lampang isn’t a hurried or chaotic place, with its lazy river and horse-drawn carriages still clip-clopping around town. Even so, Riverside Guesthouse …
Thai Elephant Conservation Center
We spent a great morning in Lampang at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. It’s operated by the Thai government (and is …
Ruins and Rice Paddies: How to see Sukhothai in a day
A 7-hour bus ride from Bangkok, and we’re still in a Thai capital — the ancient capital of Sukhothai, the first major …
Bangkok in Photos
After our first day of exploring the Chatachuk Market, we’ve been braving thousands of Chinese tourists to gawk at gaudy palaces, seen …
Bangkok – Chatuchak Market
Markets are the pulse of a city — they quickly give you a feel for a place, how it ticks. Pike Place Market …