Strictly speaking, there isnt that much to do in Luang Prabang. It’s more of a place to not do things. But of the things you can do, I found that most of my favorites took place in the evening. I really enjoyed hiding from the sun in a cafe during the heat of the day and …
I could tell I would love Laos from the moment my plane dipped down into the verdant green mountains mirrored by muddy rivers snaking their way through the landscape. After over two weeks in Vietnam, I was ready to explore a new country and I had heard that Laos was a low key and lovely …
In keeping with my missive of incorporating animal rescue into my travels, I was delighted to pay a visit to Jack’s Cat Cafe in Hoi An, Vietnam. The name of this lovely place is a little misleading; it does serve food and drink, true, but more than that, it is an important rescue organization run by …
Although Hoi An had been one of the places in Vietnam I most wanted to visit, the timing of my trip would put me there during rainy season. I had read online about kneehigh water during October and most blogs warned that it wasn’t worth the trip, so I had originally written it out of …
Apart from its strategic position as a jumping off point for both Sapa and Halong Bay, Hanoi drew my attention for being one of the best places in the world for street food. Erin and I have long bonded over our mutual passion for cheap eats and she was the perfect friend to join my gastronomic …
One of the classic trips from Hanoi is a cruise to Halong Bay, a majestic landscape of limestone karsts and clear green water. I had done exhaustive research on the myriad cruising options and settled on Indochina Junk, a luxury company. Their cruises were pretty pricey but they were one of the few companies sailing …
Night fell on Chiang Mai and so did the rain. The locals tell me it hasn’t rained in ages. But the skies opened up the night after the USA elected Donald Trump as president, and they continue to weep. My Thai host is apologetic. I can’t do the outdoorsy things that Chiang Mai is popular for, …
I spent a little over a week in Hanoi and as a person sensitive to noise, it was pretty rough. Even though I found many things to love about the capital city, sometimes the intensity was just way too much. The motorbikes, the traffic, the noise, the millions of people at every turn. I found myself …
The next morning I roused myself bright and early for my trek. Something that really attracted me to Sapa was the fact that all the trekking guides are women from the minority tribes. It is really unusual to see such matriarchal societies in southeast Asia, and apart from just feeling safer with a woman in …
There’s something impossibly romantic about traveling by sleeper train. I hadn’t been on one since I was 15 years old in France, so I was charmed into taking the sleeper to Sapa, a trekking base about 7 hours from Hanoi, just on the border with China. However, I was slightly apprehensive: it’s anybody’s guess who …