In May of 2011, we began our second around-the-world trip. Now almost eight months in, the New Year has begun, and it seems like a good time to look both…

Returning to Bangkok after a month in Vietnam (and several more in Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos) was a bit of a shock. Everything seemed so modern and cosmopolitan, fashionable and…

Hanoi is frantic and frenetic, unnerving and uncompromising, but it grows on you quickly. Hassles and scams can surely be found here, but so can unexpected kindness and unbridled energy….

Halong Bay is for many travelers the #1 must-see destination in Vietnam. With jagged limestone peaks that rise from the blue-green waters of Tonkin Bay and countless spiky rock islands…

Sometimes travel is a struggle. Everyone suffers moments of discouragement and frustration, times when everything seems to be working against you. But it’s often these times that turn out to…

With the exception of some chilly nights at high altitude on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau in Western Sichuan Province, we had been sweating since leaving South Korea at the end…

Designated a World Cultural Heritage town, Hoi An thrived in the 16th and 17th centuries as an international trading port.  Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Indian traders arrived, and in many…

The tourist strip of Pham Ngu Lao was our first introduction to Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the fall/liberation of Saigon in 1975). Just off the bus from…

We realized after we’d arrived how little we knew about Cambodian history, and during our visit attempted to soak up whatever knowledge we could. This five-part article called The Banyan…

Small-Town Cambodia along the Mekong The Mekong River is the main focus of activity in many parts of Cambodia, and exploring the small towns along the river is richly rewarding….