This morning I woke with the chickens. The chickens and my friends Nee and Mint on our pallet bed, beneath a crisp new red mosquito net. Rays of sunshine eagerly peaked through the cracks in the wooden walls, accompanied by the sounds of the morning. Slow footsteps. Chirping birds. Clanging dishes. I can’t remember the… Continue reading My Stay at a Karen Village in Northern Thailand (with Video)
Category: Travel Adventures
A Peek Inside Burmese Culture
“Nice laptop,” says the manager of my guesthouse in Bagan. “Thanks,” I reply, suddenly feeling a little hesitant about having my MacBook Air in plain view. “How much you pay?” He asks (with no qualms)! I cock my head to one side and look up at him, puzzled. Welcome to Burma. You are more likely… Continue reading A Peek Inside Burmese Culture
Avoiding “The Easy Way” – My Travels in Myanmar
The train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in Thailand has plugins in it. Plugins, clean sinks with liquid soap, a restaurant and air-conditioning, should you prefer it. The 15-hour trip hardly seems difficult, unless of course, you’re custom is flying first class. (Ah, perspective….) As I sit on the train today I realize that this… Continue reading Avoiding “The Easy Way” – My Travels in Myanmar
The Seat with Holes
She chose the broken chair. Three wicker chairs stood side by side at the bus stop – the one to the far right was missing a noticeable portion of its weave. But she sat down, opened up her big flowered bag and took out a cigar. She was not the kind of woman who could… Continue reading The Seat with Holes
Saturation: A Traveler’s Decision to Stick Around
Living in the present. Easier said than done when you’re on a 12 hour bus ride! With my curtain pulled back, I can see every market we pass between Bangkok and Chumphon Pier. So many mangos… I could eat one everyday. (Oh wait, I do ☺). Why do we travel? On the bus today I… Continue reading Saturation: A Traveler’s Decision to Stick Around
Strictly Singapore
All I remember learning about Singapore in school was that it’s illegal to chew gum there… reason enough for an adolescent to scratch it off their list of “Places I want to visit.” I’ve since learned more about Singapore, of course, and it is a fascinating country to visit, not to mention incredibly safe. Still,… Continue reading Strictly Singapore
Experiencing Cambodia
One thing is universal. Everyone smiles at children. No matter our race, gender, or even our mood. When children laugh and play in front of us, we smile. Especially when they smile at us first. And so let me tell you what I love about Cambodia. It’s children. When they run naked chasing each other… Continue reading Experiencing Cambodia
Failed Attempts, Fresh Perspectives
“It’s like flying underwater,” a friend once told me of scuba diving. Flying amongst all the corals, the exotic fish, and the fluorescent colors… Of course, I was excited to try it for myself! And what better place to do it than Koh Tao, Thailand, one of cheapest places in the world to make your… Continue reading Failed Attempts, Fresh Perspectives
3 Crazy Nights in Koh Phangan
Initially, I had planned to avoid Koh Phangan and the Full Moon party entirely. I thought, “It’s gonna be a shit show and I’m just too old for it.” Most of my friends from high school and college are waking up 5 days a week and taking their kids to school before work. And here… Continue reading 3 Crazy Nights in Koh Phangan
Connections
When traveling you form connections with people you would have likely never met in your “other life”. (Yes, it’s my other life now.) Sometimes I imagine another version of myself is still there behind a computer in downtown San Francisco, waiting for that 5 o’clock hour and an evening of Tae Kwon Do or guitar… Continue reading Connections
Amanda in Asia 